War of the Withers
by hunter049
Summary: Notch created the world. Then he made humans, but they were not as he expected. What happened from there was no one's fault but theirs...
1. Prologue

**Minecr****aft is owned by Notch, aka Markus Persson, Mojang, and its affiliate companies.**

**This chapter alludes to the Bible, in that Notch resembled God and the majority of this chapter resembles the book of Genesis.**

**A/N This is my first story. I hope you enjoy it, and any feedback in the form of reviews would help me make it better. I've read a lot of fanfictions and I've decided it's time I give back. So without further ado…**

The blocks came first. Notch desired a world where he could make creatures that would live and die by their own rules. So first he would need a place to put them.

The creatures and world would need light, and a reprieve from the heat the light would bring. So he created the sun and the moon.

Notch was wise, and he wanted his creatures to explore. But he wanted them to have at least a few limits. And so bedrock was created. This unbreakable material was at the very bottom of the world. It provided a lower limit, so they would not dig into the hellish dimension known as the Nether.

The second limit was the sky. They could build higher than was survivable, but never near enough to taste the heavens. He did not want his mortal creatures to reach the Aether, which was where he would reside and watch over his creatures.

On the bedrock he placed minerals of varying strengths and caves where his creatures could live and breed. These caves and layers of stone and minerals reached very close to the surface. Dirt and sand and gravel formed most of the surface, and this is where he began to give life.

He wanted beauty to command over the surface, so he created flowers of two colors and trees of all sizes. This was the first life he created.

He created the first arguably intelligent but definitely sentiment life form. Its skin was pink, and his form was that of the world. He was made of very small blocks that together formed his figure. His eyes looked to his sides, wary of predators that did not exist. His snout protruded only slightly, and it snorted and squealed. It noticed its master, the creator, standing before it. Notch looked down on it and named it a pig. He formed a new plant that day, if only for food for the pig. The pig enjoyed its wheat.

Wheat and its smaller form, seeds, were followed by reeds of sugarcane. It grew far taller than wheat, but the trees held dominion.

Soon, Notch realized his creatures would not live long without certain things. He gave them water. He gave the Earth water. The pig drank its fill, and Notch came over to it. The pig has loneliness in its eyes, so Notch made a fellow pig and new animals.

The new animal would be bigger than a pig, and have the means to provide alternative food. It was spotted, white with dark brown with a pink udder. Its horns were small but sharp. The milk it gave could cure illness from the pig or its new friend, the cow itself. Notch saw that the beginning of the world would start with these peaceful and gentle creatures. He smiled.

The chicken was created in that it could fall and travel to deeper places. It served as a new companion for the cow and pig.

So he provided comfort for them in a new friend and what it brought. The creature was covered in a plush, soft, white fur. It made a single noise, for it had only one use. The sheep was made. It shared its comfort with its friends, and for a long time, life prospered. No animal went hungry since there was wheat and grass, a new version of wheat that was far more plentiful.

Soon, he created life for the water. Fish and squid swam through the seas and lakes. Water started to heat up, and small water blocks disappeared thanks to the sun. Soon enough, it fell back down to the ground, covering everything with what gave it all life. Rain poured on occasion from the formed clouds.

Sometimes, it grew colder, and the water that normally fell hardened. Snow fell, and with it Notch formed an idea. He created pumpkins. They on their own were nearly useless, but Notch created life from snow and these new plants. Snow golems, he dubbed them. These snow golems roamed the cold grounds, never venturing out of their cold regions.

Where there is cold, there is heat. The desert land was scorched with the powerful rays of the sun, and no trees provided shade. Water accumulated on occasion into oases and gave life chances. Soon, Notch saw that even with the water patches, life refused to live in the desert for long. So he made a green, spiky plant that would only live in such arid conditions. The cactus prevailed in the sand.

But the land was far too regular. Not fitting for a true world. Notch gave the land rises and drops, ravines and hills, valleys and mountains. He was happy to see his creatures jumping along the cliff sides.

He saw the animals in harmony, and decided to make a leader to help them and nurture them as he would. He created the first human, and dubbed it so. He then went to the Nether, to give it life as well. However, he thought different dimensions must be completely different.

The land was, instead of dirt, a red rocky stone from which no life grew. It filled the landscape, and with it everywhere he was happy. He made ghasts, but as his Nether creatures lived, it saw nothing. Notch thought, and created fire. He placed it everywhere in the Nether, but still the ceiling of the Nether, where there was also bedrock, was dark.

Lava was made, with the thought of water and fire together. The ghast flew unwittingly through the new liquid and burned. Notch cringed and granted all life in the Nether immunity to the flames and heat that kept it habitable.

He returned to the Overworld, and was shocked to see many of his animals dead. Humans stood in woolen garments eating pork and beef. Trees had fallen and were used to make buildings. Notch was enraged, but sad to have death mar his world. With a heavy heart, he returned to the Nether. Here, he created soul sand, to never forget those lost in the beginning.

In honor of the first ever creature, he made zombie pigmen. These were wary, as the pig first had been, and wielded golden swords.

The Overworld was now dominated by humans, but Notch would not let them have it on a silver platter. He created aggressive creatures designed to only kill humans. He created the zombie. Its moans and growls were only heightened with the blood of humans. Soon, though, he realized two things.

One, was that anger and fury corrupted the creatures through no fault of their own. His rage has seeped into them, and this made them dark. The sun combated the dark, and so these creatures burned in the daylight.

Two, was that this only seemed to drive humans further. They fashioned crude weapons and killed the zombies. Soon, innovation took over and they made new tools. They _ate_ the undead flesh. It sickened Notch. He created the skeleton, to rival the innovation of humans.

Even this only slowed them slightly. They killed the skeletons and took their bows. Notch realized the humans were a bloodthirsty race, but as a god he refused to destroy, only create.

He left them be, and only tweaked or added a few things from time to time. He even let them into the Nether through hard work. Once inside, they gathered resources and left.

The day he added wither skeletons, as cousins to the skeletons, was the day the madness began. They killed off these new creatures and even took the heads as trophies. Soon, the unthinkable happened.

With a certain formation of soul sand and skulls, a new life form was born. This was the Wither. The soul sand reminded it of how the humans killed off many, and so it became aggressive. It took it too far, and started to kill everything. It even had a withering effect, like that of the wither skeletons. Nearly destroying the world Notch worked hard to make, Notch stepped in. He stopped the Wither and destroyed all evidence of its creation or its making.

He forced humans to forget, to never repeat this travesty. Soon, however, miners discovered old torn manuscripts. It described the Wither and how it was made. It showed the damage it could cause. Seeing it only as history and treasure, they brought it back up. Notch added bats, not knowing that was one of the final pieces in the elaborate puzzle he unwittingly made.

He left for the Aether soon after. He stayed there, and from there made his changes. Humans thrived and expanded. Inevitably, the manuscripts were stolen, and the formation was nearly complete. Only one skull remained. One day, it was put into place.

The Wither was reborn.


	2. In the Midst of Battle

**I don't own Minecraft. The owner is Markus Persson aka Notch, the people who help him, Mojang, and the affiliates. I also don't own the Battle gear mod. The owner of that would be nerd-boy.**

**A/N OK so this is the 2****nd**** chapter. I'm putting this up in hopes this story will become more popular. Like every story, it needs reviews if there are errors or poor structure or simply reviewing for the sake of reviewing. I'd be very happy if you did. **

The moon was nearing the center of the sky. Stars shone down on the battlefield. Humans ran across with swords in hand. These footmen wore iron helmets and chest plates with leather pants and boots for added protection.

During the wither's recreation, more Notch added new things to his world. These included spiders, fast and flat creatures that could outrun humans. The only silver lining was that they were much calmer in the day. The cousins of these spiders were smaller but had a deadly bite.

Green creatures with a wish for self destruction with the added bonus of a dead human were known as creepers. They were silent and deadly, scarcely making a noise until they hissed and exploded.

Endermen were new, but rare. They were tall and dark with the ability to teleport. Occasionally they grabbed blocks, but usually they were docile. But if it was looked at, it would become enraged and attack the viewer. Strangely, water was a weakness of theirs, so warriors carried water bottles to throw if necessary.

As they ran, archers provided them cover. Arrows flew from the bows of both archers and skeletons. Spiders jumped over most groups to land and crush infantry. The smaller cousins of the spider compensated with deadly venom. Many who escaped with what they thought was a mere bite died in agonizing pain soon after. Blurs of green only disappeared with explosions.

One warrior was slicing through a zombie when an arrow struck into his helmet. It did not go through, but the pain of the impact stunned the warrior. Almost instantly he was surrounded and bit by a horde of zombies.

He hobbled away to his side of the war and rested, but soon succumbed to the infection. As his vision turned wavy and his pain was ebbing with his life, he grabbed his sword and stabbed himself.

Another soldier grabbed his tag (string with a piece of carven wood on it). He bowed his head in silent mourning and ran into the battle. His name was Steve, named after the very first human who started it all. In fact, he was a direct descendant of that Steve. He climbed a small tower built for archers. Here he saw a sign that they were losing this war.

A skeleton leered at Steve, readied his arrow and pulled back. Steve ducked, the arrow scraping his iron helmet.

The momentum of the arrow scrape pulled him back, saving him from the sword slice of the skeleton's cousin. Taller than Steve, it glared down at him and struck again with his sword. Steve sidestepped, feeling the wind rush near the blade. He readied his own sword in a defensive stance, and not a moment too soon. The stone blade cracked against his iron one, however, and Steve pushed back. As if a potion of strength had been injected into him, he shattered the stone. The wither skeleton was enraged and grabbed Steve.

Pinning him against the wall, the dark skeleton was choking Steve. He scrambled to grvb some gunpowder from his pouch, and threw it on the skeleton. Nothing happened, and Steve had expected this. He snatched his flint and steel and brushed them together. A spark came out and touched the gunpowder.

The skeleton's ashy bones, charred from the fires of the Nether, flew in all directions. Steve was pushed even further into the wall, and nearly blacked out. He guzzled a potion of healing down, then a potion of swiftness. The sugar in the swiftness potion would keep him awake, and the healing potion would do as its name would suggest.

The bone white skeleton, stunned by the explosion, recovered and aimed an arrow at Steve and fired. This time, Steve deflected the arrow with his sword, rushing towards the undead archer. He flung the skeleton's bow out of its hand. Steve then used the pommel to smash in its skull, and finished by stabbing through the skull.

Tired, he grabbed the bow and provided arrow support while his comrades retreated. He briefly wondered how the skeletons had gotten up here, since there used to be a human archer here. Turning his head, under the skeleton was the skewered and bloodied remains of a human archer.

Watching the dead bodies made him feel sick. Even the dead mobs seemed like a waste of life to him. But he knew they would never stop. He believed the legend of the Creation, and nearly wished humans never had harmed the peaceful creatures. But what happened could not be changed. He focused on the survival of his kind, and how it seemed impossible.

The wither had been reborn, and with it came a vast army of wither skeletons. Though it was only the wither who wanted to kill all life, the wither skeletons still weren't happy about helping the regular mobs. But they allied to destroy the human race. So a great war began, and it seemed the constant spawning of mobs outweighed the skill of the humans. The humans were being decimated, but refused to give up.

The day brought light, and calmed the spiders. Normally. But what the humans did not know was that the wither had influenced the bats, making them fly into the sky, and in great numbers. So great were their numbers, in fact, that they blocked out the sunlight. (**A/N It's similar to the Kryll from Gears of War, owned by Epic Games**) Unfortunately, this meant the mobs would not burn or turn docile. The war never had to stop.

Human blacksmiths and inventors got to work on new weapons and such. An apothecary soon invented the invisibility potion. This allowed for safer scouting, and even a few sneak attacks on the enemy line.

Then the new weapons came. There was the new shield (**A/N If you're familiar with the Battle gear mod then you recognize these weapons**), the spear, and even dual wielding swords. Even with this, battles ended with scarce victory or retreat. The mobs were slowly but steadily pushing the humans into their last haven, a city known as the Landing. This was the site where the first humans were created. Unfortunately, it seemed the site of humanity's creation would be the site of its destruction.

It started to look so dire for the humans that some soldiers had TNT in their pockets. Once they were fallen and swarmed, they would light the TNT. Blood and pieces flew everywhere, marking one honorable soldier taking down a mob of mobs as his last duty.

* * *

Steve was at rest, in the infirmary. Well, at rest would suggest he was relaxed. Instead, he was being pestered by nurses who were trying to see if he had some concussion or something, even as he insisted he was fine after drinking the potion of healing. Finally, they let him go to wait for the next battle nearby.

He didn't have to wait long.

An army of mobs was coming towards his base camp, and with most of the soldiers wounded or dead, it didn't look like they could survive this new wave. His heart dropped into his stomach as a siren blared through the camp.

Even after retreating, the mobs had followed to obliterate his part of the army. Archers shot arrows from quivers as the mobs neared the base camp's walls. Creepers ran up only to explode against the wall. The rest of the mobs entered through these gaping entrances.

The humans were trapped between a wall of mobs and a stone wall. A scout ran to the center of the roof and lit 3 fireworks. They shot up into the air and made the signal that signified certain death and the overrunning of a camp.

Steve paled, having basically been marked as dead. Unsheathing his sword, he ran downstairs to see carnage. The zombies swarmed soldiers. The trapped let out bloodcurdling screams of agony until it abruptly stopped. The undead moved away, and only shreds of clothes and tags were left.

Soldiers lay on the ground, dying of arrows. They either were crawling away with arrows sticking out like spines, or dead in a pool of blood. Some warriors decided to run out, trying to reach the Landing. They were torn limb from limb by the army that surrounded the entire base camp.

Steve watched, pushed some bile down, and ran to an emergency trapdoor. He was only able to keep a steady head by staying inside, but those soldiers outside had lost their minds and forgotten about these exits. It was hidden by some dirt. He sheathed his sword and opened the trapdoor. Just as he was about to jump in, he saw a rookie about to run out the door.

_Evidently he hasn't seen me_, thought Steve. He grabbed the rookie's leg and tugged. The young soldier looked down in horror, only to have relief rush into his features as he saw it was only Steve.

"Come on," Steve ordered, "we have to escape. Now would be the best time, as the mobs haven't gotten inside the smaller structures within the base camp. I don't know how much longer we have 'til then, so hurry up."

Steve climbed out to let the rookie in first, then entered himself and closed the trapdoor. Before descending, he reached through the hole and pulled the dirt on top. The block of dirt covered the trapdoor.

The two soldiers were going down into the old catacomb system. They had escaped the mob army, but who knows what they could find in the catacombs. They were so old that some of the torches might have fizzled out, leaving some parts dark. This could mean mobs spawned in.

As they reached the bottom rung, they could hear hissing and rattling down the halls. Steve put a carrot in his mouth to munch on and unsheathed his sword. The rookie adjusted his helmet and grabbed his sword.


	3. Catacombs

**I do not own Minecraft. You're thinking of Markus Persson, or Notch, and his partners, Mojang, and affiliate companies. **

**A/N Hello, people who might be reading this. This is the third chapter of War of the Withers, and I hope you like it. Whether you do or don't please leave a review. Perhaps even check out my other story, Gentle Creatures. But if you want this story to get even better, REVIEW. That's all you have to do. It'll make me happier, and if I'm happy I'll be in the mood to write. If I'm in the mood to write you get the new chapter faster. If you get it faster you're happy. So make yourself happy and review. **

**Even made a new story called _Hardcore Mode._ Read it if you think it's your cup of tea. Review my stories if you like them.**

* * *

Steve stepped onto the ground with a faint crunch. The rookie fell with a thump as he sat on the ground. Steve glared at him until the mob noises got excited.

Steve's eyes widened and he pulled the rookie to his feet. The rookie's helmet was lopsided on his head, but Steve didn't notice. He got into his battle stance like with the wither skeleton earlier. An arrow shot out past Steve and punctured the stone wall with a dull twang.

He turned his head back to where the shot was fired to see a spider flying towards him. Swapping to the flat of his sword, he pushed the spider down, only to see a skeleton riding on top. It grinned at him and fired off another shot. Steve looked down so the arrow would bounce off his helmet. The impact still hurt, but Steve didn't care. He was in combat mode, where he wouldn't stop until all of the enemies were dead or he was.

He grabbed the skeleton and flung it off the spider. As the spider protested, he slammed his foot into the spider's face. Using that bounce, he aimed his sword to puncture through the skull of the skeleton with one blow. He was about to make it when a blur slammed into him. After the initial stun, Steve saw another wither skeleton on top of him, its sword inches from his neck and creeping closer.

The rookie, in awe from Steve's battle, ran to his aid. He brought his sword to the side of the wither skeleton's head and it crumpled into the wall. The rookie was helping Steve up when two things happened at once. The wither skeleton got up and the skeleton fired. Everything seemed to go in slow motion for Steve.

The arrow flew through the air as the wither skeleton pushed the rookie. His helmet fell off. The projectile perfectly entered through the rookie's side. Blood spurted from the puncture wound and his body made impact with the wall. The wither skeleton took advantage of Steve's stunned condition and slid his sword deep into the rookie's stomach. It thumped as it hit the wall.

Black veins of dark magic were trailing from the sword onto the rookie. The wither skeleton was draining him, but it seemed there wasn't much life left in him.

So much blood was coming out of the poor recruit. It spurted in a crimson stream as the arrow stayed in place, and the sword still in his belly didn't stop the waterfall of blood. There was even blood matting his hair, and the rookie's face was whiter than the skeleton's bones. Steve entered some sort of trance, and when he came back to his senses, both skeletons were in pieces and the rookie was gasping for life on the ground.

"No… no no no, please, don't you dare die." Steve whispered as the life was slipping away from the rookie. Steve opened his eyes to see only the whites of his eyeballs. He grabbed through the rookie's belt until he grabbed the neck of a bottle of healing potion.

He poured the contents into the rookie's mouth and watched as it slid down. Other than that, there was no change.

"No… he's too far gone." He was pulling off the dog tag when the rookie coughed. Blood came out, but he was breathing regularly again and some color seemed to seep into his cheeks.

He read the dog tag. "Sam Falconer." He waited in the dark hallway as the potion did its work. Slowly, the blood dried and as Steve lifted his shirt, the wounds were healing pretty well. Still, it'd be a day or two before Sam could fight without putting his life at risk.

Steve sheathed his blackened sword and carried Sam. As Steve carried Sam, they heard hissing and more rattling, but they didn't encounter any more mobs along the way. Steve trudged along and finally reached the ladder heading up to the Landing.

He pondered on how to carry Sam up the ladder, and luckily didn't need to. Sam started to sit up from where Steve had set him down.

"What… what happened?" Sam asked groggily. He winced as the pain still hadn't completely subsided.

"Well, after you saved me from the wither skeleton, it got up and slammed you into the wall where the skeleton shot you in the side. I blacked out or something, and when I woke up, the skeletons were dead and you were laying on the ground bleeding gallons. I used your healing potion and saved your life in return."

"Thanks, sir." Sam smiled at Steve, who didn't smile back.

"Just call me Steve. OK, so I got you to the ladder of the Landing, but you think you can get up there without dying?"

The rookie tried to get up but the pain increased to insufferable levels. He cried out, and when he was flat on the ground, he shook his head.

"Damn. Don't worry, then. I'll be staying down here with you." Steve sat down next to the rookie.

"No, no, don't let me stop you. Get up there, si- Steve. Just leave me a bow and some arrows, a cookie if you have one on you." At this, Steve laughed.

"Kid, I leave you down here and you'll die. The mobs that are still around here seem to back off while I'm down here. I don't know why." He shrugged. "No matter, though. Either way, you're stuck with me." Steve grinned.

They waited for a while, trading stories of their history and of the recent battles.

"So think you can manage to make it up the ladder yet?" Steve asked. Sam sat up, and sensing no pain, tried to stand. There was pain, but it was bearable.

"I can make it up now. Thanks for waiting and for saving my life and all." Steve replied that there was no thanks necessary, and they made in to the Landing.

Immediately, readied bows were aimed at them. "Who are you?" a voice asked.

Steve called out, "Steve Persson, solider of Delta Squad of the infantry division. This is Sam Falconer, rookie in…" He looked over to Sam, and he finished the sentence.

"I'm in Beta Squad of the Scout division." The bows were put away, and a friendly face grinned at them.

"Welcome to the Landing, men."

The sun took a bit of time to get used to, but after that, the two soldiers felt safe in the massive headquarters of mankind. Iron golems stood guard outside the walls, on the turrets of the walls, and even on the streets of the small town.

The man who grinned at them introduced himself. "Seeing as how I know your names, you might as well know mine. I'm Kennedy Green, but everyone calls me Kenny." Kenny shook hands with the two soldiers.

"We here at the Landing saw your base camp's defeat flare. How the Nether did you two manage to escape?"

"Barely," Steve quipped. "This one nearly died twice, and I nearly died three times."

"Well, then congrats on surviving long enough to make it here. This is our last true safe haven. You two are luckier than you think. Tomorrow we're throwing TNT down the ladder and lighting it."

Steve asked, "Why? What if more soldiers ran and made it down there, only to be blown to chunks or not be able to make it up?"

"Steve, we have other things to think about here. The monsters can climb ladders, most of 'em anyways. We got women and children here, and we can't leave any risk when it comes to their safety."

Steve nodded. Sam was resting with one arm behind his head and the other on his lap.

"Steve, we have to go back."

At this, Steve whirled towards Sam. "What? We barely make it out of there in one piece and now you want to return?"

Sam nodded. "We left something there. There are the dog tags of course, but something much more important was at that camp."

At this, even Kenny was curious. "What was over there in that camp?"

Sam replied, and both of the other men gasped.

"That might hold the secret to ending this war," Steve whispered.

"Yes, but there's something special about that thing."

"What is it?"

* * *

**Cliffhanger of sorts. I hope you're not too mad at me. XP Well tell me what you think, and review. Maybe read my other stories, _Gentle Creatures_ and _Hardcore Mode_.**


	4. The Landing

**I don't own Minecr****aft. That'd be Markus Persson, aka Notch, his partners, Mojang, and affiliate companies.**

**OK So this is the fourth inst****allment of this story. This time, I didn't forget something very important. My primary editor and best friend deserves as much credit as I do, since he gave me plenty of ideas and terms and some of the plot. So I thank him, and his alias would be Locust. Anyways, please review and check out my other stories. **

**I'm sorry for the long wait, though. I had some things to do, and my friends weren't able to edit it for a few reasons. So I hope you're still interested in this story, and here you go.  
**

"That could definitely be the key to finishing the war, Steve. That's exactly why we need to get back to the fallen base and retrieve it." Sam stated.

Kenny nodded. "I'd like to go with you. You might be able to use some extra muscle." He grinned until a scout came bearing bad news.

"Sir, mobs are outside in more numbers than ever. Our golems and men are fighting, even our Onyx Knights. But so far all the effort we've put in seems to only stall them. What do you suggest we do?"

Kenny turned solemn. "We fight until the last drop. Listen and spread the order: We fight until we drop dead. There are women and children we need to protect here, our families and friends. We can't afford to lose this haven."

He put on his iron helmet and full chain armor. Steve stared, realizing he had chatted up a general in the war. But galvanized by General Green's small speech, he too put on his armor and grabbed his sword.

Sam was about to mimic them when Steve stopped him. "You have to stay here. You're far too wounded to fight out there, Sam."

"I don't care. You heard General Green, we have to fight until the last drop. There are children here."

At this, Kenny spoke. "No, first off, call me Kenny. I prefer it. Second, you're far too injured. If you go out there you're sure to die. You stay and ask the medics to soak you in a potion-water mixture, on behalf of me. This is a direct order, scout. Do not fight until you fully heal."

Sam grumbled but did not dare to disobey a superior officer. Kenny whistled and medics came to take Sam to the medical chambers for a potion-water soak.

"OK, Steve. Now you have even more reason to fight. If they get in the walls, even Sam will have to fight. We can't let that happen, or his wounds might get more severe. So let's defend this last stronghold."

At this, Steve nodded. Something in his mind twitched at the last word, but he decided to pursue that later. For now, they watched from a tower as the mobs came. The bats still hung in the air, allowing all mobs to stay alive and hostile.

Steve jumped onto a ladder, and slid down. His feet hit the ground, and he started running, bow in hand. His arrows could hit their mark with more precision if he was at the same elevation as the target.

Steve fired arrows into the mob wall, and some mobs fell. It seemed to only make them march faster, and new mobs replaced the ones he had killed. He growled and hurled a potion of harming. It splashed on a small group of creepers, and they all fell to the ground, dead.

Arrows started to come flying from the mob wall, missing Steve by inches. But the arrows were getting more and more accurate as the mobs neared.

Suddenly the mobs split into their kinds. The creepers ran to the wall, and Steve had a sick sense of déjà vu as they started to glow and flash.

Apparently Kenny was ready for that. "Fighters, head to the southeastern part of the wall. Hurry."

The explosions destroyed a sector of the wall, and mobs flooded in. Skeletons fired arrows at footmen and the two armies clashed. Iron golems slammed mobs through the air, and potions were thrown.

Endermen had finally entered the fray full force, teleporting throughout the battlefield. Steve witnessed this and experienced this firsthand.

He sliced through a zombie and heard the dull twang of an arrow fired. He turned to the flat of his sword and deflected the arrow. He swapped out quickly to his bow, and fired off an arrow in return. It broke through the skull of the skeleton. Steve scanned the battlefield, and his eyes flew over a shadowy form.

Suddenly a dark purple figure filled his vision, and a slender arm sent him flying back. He was sprawled on the ground, the Enderman holding him down. To his horror, a creeper slowly marched towards the defenseless Steve.

The Enderman teleported away as an arrow flew right where it had been. The creeper, not possessing the same ability as the Enderman, was shot in the head by the arrow.

He looked to see Sam standing on a small platform, holding a bow. Steve rushed over.

"I thought Kenny said to stay and get healed." Steve said, a faint smile on his lips.

"He did. I'm now healed, don't worry. Those waters work fast, like they seep into your skin and heal you all over. The surgeon did a really fast job taking out the stone fragments in my guts." Sam grinned. Both men turned somber and reverted back to combat mode.

Steve heard a scream and turned to see a fallen soldier with an arrow in his heart. It was a fatal wound, but the soldier had carried a shield. Steve honored the soldier by first grabbing his tag, then equipping the shield.

Steve instantly felt more protected, a sturdy wall of iron on wood on his arm. But this rush of safety blinded him for a moment, and he blinked to find himself in the middle of the battlefield. He evidently had gone into the trance-like state again. Internally shrugging, he slammed his shield into the head of a nearby skeleton, sending the head into a throng of mobs. The headless body fell to the ground, and Steve looted some arrows before standing.

Steve jumped into the air and slammed into an airborne zombie. He landed with both cushioning from the shield and the zombie. It groaned under him and Steve grabbed an arrow from his quiver. He stabbed the arrow into the zombie's skull, and its moans stopped. He looked around, and everywhere, there was conflict. Soldiers blocked arrows and blows only to falter for half a second, and pay the ultimate price. He jumped and saw the human ranks starting to dwindle.

Kenny suddenly shouted, "LIGHT IT**!**" Blocks of TNT were lit and dropped down into the ranks of mobs. The explosions threw undead limbs around in the air and there was utter carnage. The mobs, suffering a heavy blow, started to try to fall back. Soldiers dropped down from the TNT perches to flank the mobs. These newer soldiers wore chain armor and fell into phalanx position.

Steve could easily see they were well-trained. They decimated the remaining mobs and broke rank to cheer. Everyone cheered, tears falling in joy and in mourning for those lost during the fight.

Sam walked over to Steve, and asked, "So are we going to go back to the fallen base camp soon?"

Steve nodded, and they started to walk away from the carnage left. Kenny ran over to them.

"Guys, you two can't go alone. I'll send one of my best men to go with you, OK? But first, let us have a massive feast, to honor the warriors who have lost their lives during this skirmish, and to celebrate this victory." Kenny grinned. He led the two to the banquet hall. Kenny let the cooks know that he planned to have all the tables filled with food by midnight.

* * *

"Let us have a moment of silence for those we've lost tonight." Kenny waited for a few moments. "We will feast here, in the knowledge that without them we couldn't gorge ourselves like we will. May Notch bless their souls as they enter the heavens."

He paused to let his prayer sink in. "Now, everyone have a good time and eat well." He finished his speech and let everyone eat.

Kenny went to sit with Steve and Sam. He grinned with hunger at the food piled on his plate and greedily began to eat. Steve felt sick at the sight of pork chops. He really loved pigs. Steve decided to focus on his own food.

That is, until Sam decided to comment on the quality of the pork. At this, Steve threw his knife at Sam. Or so Sam had thought, until the pork was impaled on the knife in the trash can.

"What?" Sam asked, startled. Kenny, however, looked amused at this outburst.

"You don't get it, Sam? He loves pigs. Not sure why, they seem rather dumb to me." He munched on a beef chunk and waited to Steve to elaborate.

"It's a long story."

"We're at a banquet, time isn't a factor. So go ahead."

"Well, OK. When I was a little boy, before the War had begun, my father still wasn't home much. He was a traveler, and a miner. So he'd be off in the mines a lot. I tried to follow him one day, and I got lost. I remember the night coming fast, and some mobs coming near me. I sat down and cried, until a few snorts came and I opened my eyes. I was bewildered to see all the mobs gone, and one pig in front of me. He came closer and I hugged him. We were friends ever since." Steve's eyes seemed to shimmer before he continued.

"He was like a wolf, but he was much more loyal and he was with me everywhere. We were never apart. I even made him little boots and a helmet for our mining adventures. It was the year the Wither was reborn. Mobs became smarter and more aggressive. We were up to our necks in mobs, and he hit them all and led them away from me. I ran after him... but all I found was a pork chop."

He let one tear fall before wiping them away. "That was the day I decided to join this army. I would kill a mob with every opportunity I got. With this job, I'd get a lot of opportunities. I wouldn't let my valiant pig die in vain."

The other two soldiers gaped at him, and clapped him on the back gently.

"I'm not hungry anymore." Steve pushed his plate away and stood up. He stretched and started to walk away. Sam was about to go after Steve when Kenny put an arm out.

"No. He's just a bit sad, he'll be fine. He just needs some time to himself."

Sam sat back down and everyone continued eating.

Steve walked on, until he reached a high window. He sighed, thoughts of a small pig running through his mind. He glanced down to the training yard.

The moon shone down, dimly illuminating a dark figure swiftly moving around a dummy.

Two guards passed by as they headed up. "Heh, look. The co-commander is training again. Can't see why, though. Down there is any mob's worst nightmare."

Steve wondered who that man down there was. If he was second in command, just how well could he fight? Steve watched in awe as the figure kept beating the dummy, then in bewilderment as the figure stopped. His eyes widened as the dummy's head slowly rolled off and hit the ground. Steve squinted and saw white glistening across the lower part of the figure's shadowy face.

The figure started to head inside, and Steve rushed to the stairs. He was determined to meet this mystery warrior. Just then, Sam came up.

"Hey, Steve. I just came up here because you seemed really depressed when you left. Do you fe-" Sam was almost shoved aside as Steve ran downstairs. He nearly cried out as the unmistakable figure (it was wearing all black) entered a room. He rushed towards the room until two burly guards stood in front of the door.

Steve gave a disappointed sigh as Sam ran down the stairs.

"What's up with the rough treatment up there?" Sam asked.

Steve shrugged, not having a ready answer. He knew Sam would find it weird if he replied he had to see some random guy who was training in the fields.

"Well, come on then. Kenny wants to meet up with us near the catacombs we entered tomorrow. So we better get some rest." The two soldiers headed to the soldiers' dorm.

Steve lay in his bed, his final thoughts before dreaming was of the mysterious co-commander.

_He stood from his bed. Walking to the door, he opens it and come out to the banquet hall. He turns his head to see the co-commander's room unguarded. He seized his opportunity and flings open the door. He backs up to see an Enderman lunge from a bed. Just as it was about to grab him._

He jolted awake and was surprised to see morning on the horizon. Steve stood up and walked towards the door.

**Another smaller cliffhanger? :O I know, I'm messed up. But it's kinda fun. Besides, it adds suspense, doesn't it? That's like its only purpose. You want the next chapter? Review and it'll come faster. Give me ideas, or comments, or even private message me if you don't want to let everyone see. REVIEW. You know you want to. Just click the button… Til next time. **


	5. Munch and Punch

**This is a non-profit fanfiction of Minecraft. Ownership goes to Notch, his partners, Mojang, and affiliate companies.**

**OK So fifth chapter. I hope you people have been waiting for this, that'd make us (Locust and Me) very happy. Please review. Or if you're shy, just privately message me, away from prying eyes. Thanks from us here.**

Steve opened the door and stepped outside near the banquet hall. He looked towards the co-commander's door and was sad to see the two guards still in front.

"Seems like it was just a dream..." He drearily said.

Steve waited for Sam outside the door. Finally, the second warrior stumbled outside the door.

"Finally! I've been waiting for hours!" Steve said, more than a bit irritated at his friend's sloth.

"Really?! How long have I been asleep?" Sam came awake immediately. He looked around for a clock and only saw Steve's stoic look.

"No, not really. Now let's go, we need to meet Kenny over at the catacombs entrance." His stomach growled. "Er... I'm sure he won't mind if we sneak some breakfast into ourselves before we go."

The pair went to the banquet hall nearby. Steve loaded his plate with some eggs and a bit of carrot sprinkled on mashed potatoes. Sam just grabbed a chicken sandwich and some toast.

The two munched on their meals, satisfying their hunger.

* * *

The two soldiers, content with their hunger having been satiated, walked towards the catacombs. Kenny stood there, and a man garbed in full iron armor stood next to him.

"Now, this is Ivan. He is one of my best soldiers, and I've chosen him to go with you on your journey. Ivan, anything to say to these two about yourself?"

Ivan remained silent.

"Er, don't mind him, he doesn't talk much. He's not good with social settings." Kenny patted Ivan. "But I assure you, there are few men better to fight alongside you when you're surrounded by mobs."

Steve nodded. "Well, we probably won't be talking much anyways, so that's fine. OK, let's get going."

The three headed off. Crossing the drawbridge, they turned west to reach the fallen base camp.

* * *

As they passed a tree, San remarked that they were about halfway there, if he remembered correctly. Steve was fed up with the silence up to that point, and determined to get some talk from Ivan.

"So, Ivan... do you have a family back at the castle?" Steve hoped this could spark an actual conversation,

"Yes. My son is over there and I plan to return to him. His training is incomplete and we have been practicing since he was nine."

Steve blinked, surprised at how much Ivan actually said. "I thought you didn't talk much?"

"General Green put me on the spot back there."

"I see. So mind telling us about your son?"

"No. He wasn't much of a fighter when he was small. I coaxed him in with letting him know that people would like and respect him if he were to be a champion fighter or warrior. Kids like those sort of things. So he agreed, and we've trained ever since. He's now sixteen. He fights for glory."

"Is he in the army?"

"Not yet, he's tending to his mother. She's frequently ill."

"Do you hope he joins the militia?"

"No, and I hope this is all over before he has to enter. I'd rather die than see him fight and suffer."

At this, Sam looked up. He enjoyed the story but was worried to see the sun start to go down. Luckily, he could see the base in the horizon.

"Guys, let's hurry. I'd rather be in a tower or a cabin or something than out here where we're exposed."

The trio ran towards the fallen camp.

* * *

They soon spotted what they came to look for. Steve ran to the trapdoor, opened it, and motioned for the other two to come closer.

"This is it, guys. Have your swords drawn and stay on your guard." Steve slid down first, and thumped on the cold ground. Two other thumps came soon after.

"OK, so these are the vaults. Supposedly the map is in a hidden chamber, so keep your eyes peeled for something out of place."

Steve led in front as Ivan covered the back. They stepped cautiously, waiting to spot something strange.

Finally they made it to an arched door. Inside, there was nothing.

Ivan shouted. "What is the meaning of this?!" He pounded on the ground, and his massive weight shook the room. Sam looked around but saw nothing. He turned back to the door and saw red eyes peering back from the darkness.

"Spiders!" Sam yelled, and the other two turned around. Suddenly the walls came apart, and mobs poured into the room like water.

"It's an ambush!" Steve cried, and slashed at the nearest wither skeleton. The wither skeleton slammed its sword, aiming for Steve's head, but Ivan barreled between them, and parried. The swords made a deafening clang and the wither looked down in surprise. Ivan smirked.

"When you go to the Nether, tell the Wither I said hello."

It cocked its head in confusion and Ivan took this chance. He shoved the skeleton back and it stumbled into a group of its peers. He slammed the flat of his sword across the group and smiled. Two of them crumpled and fell to the ground, but one still stood.

An arrow pierced the skeleton's skull and flung it to the ground. Sam stood, smirking at his own marksmanship.

Ivan spotted a couple of zombies. He grinned as he rushed towards the undead. Ivan rammed his sword through the zombie and brought his sword into the air. The zombie grasped at the sword as if pleading to be freed, and Ivan dropped the sword slightly. The zombie moaned as it sunk down the blade. He turned to the other zombie and sliced its head off in one blow.

Steve was preoccupied with a group of skeletons. He ran up, darting from cover to cover, as the skeletons were distracted by Sam's volley of arrows. He rolled out of cover and swung his sword low. One skeleton's legs were caught by the blade and it fell. He pierced the skeleton's skull and it dangled like a puppet. Steve swung his sword to discard the body.

The second skeleton struck at Steve with his bow. He grabbed the bow and pulled back his leg. Steve kicked the skeleton and it stumbled back. Grasping the bow firmly, he threw the bow. The sharp end landed between the skeleton's eye holes.

Steve was almost enjoying himself until he saw a group of wither skeletons.

_Ivan..._ Steve rushed towards the group until Ivan's voice stopped in his tracks. It was raspy and final, as if he knew the inevitable.

"We'll meet again in the next life, comrades." Steve was pushed back as a blast came from Ivan's location. Smoke erupted from the small crater, and Steve saw something fly through the air. He jumped to catch it, a nd caught the tag.

_Ivan Hindeguard._

The smoke started to clear and the remaining two soldiers saw a hidden chamber revealed in the wall. Inside was a small chest. Sam and Steve look at each other.

"Let's hurry and not let Ivan's death be in vain." Steve says.

They walked over to the chest surrounded by old cobwebs. The chest was dusty and Sam blew on it. There were unreadable symbols on the chest like a label.

Steve opened it, and the two soldiers looked at each other.

"This is it."

**Cliffhanger for the next chapter, no? Hope you're not too mad to wait for the next chapter. Bye, til next time.**


	6. Meeting M

**a/n Minecraft is not owned by me but by Notch, his partners, Mojang, and affiliate companies. Hotel Transylvania is owned by Sony Pictures Animations and Columbia Pictures.**

**So this is the sixth chapter. I never thought I'd ever do this kind of thing, writing something that people seem to like. So I thank you all for reviews and follows and favoriting me and my stories. We here (Locust and I) would like you to keep reading.**

The journey back to the Landing was silent. The sun shone brightly but gave no warmth.

Kenny called as they entered the base. "Hey guys."

He runs towards them and noticed something. "Where's Ivan?"

Steve walked to Kenny and gave him the tag. Kenny's face darkened as he realized what happened. He whistled for a messenger.

"Get this to the Hindenguard boy." He turned to his friends. "What happened?"

Sam stepped forward to explain. "It was a trap. Somehow they knew we were coming to get the map, and mobs rushed in. We fought but Ivan got pinned down. He said something and blew himself up. The explosion revealed the chamber with the map in it... we couldn't have done it without him."

Kenny turned away for a second, then twisted his neck to get a view of the two men in front of him. "Ivan wouldn't have wanted us to mourn his death, as it won't bring him back. We will win the war." He brightened up, but Steve could see through the facade. He knew Kenny didn't want to look weak.

Kenny continued. "But there are more pending matters at hand. Our captain noticed new faces and wants to meet you two. The captain also noticed an audience watching from a window during training."

"The captain knows we were here and noticed me? How?"

"She sees much more than you'd think."

Steve was confused. "Excuse me?"

Kenny smiled. "Don't mind me. The captain is ready to meet you two."

It was Sam's turn to be confused. "OK, where is the captain then?"

"I'm right here." A dark figure arose from the nearby well. Her walk showed no sign of bobbing as though she was hovering over the ground. This effect was heightened by a cape with a wide collar that barely touched the ground. Steve watched as the figure came into their field of vision and into the light. The sunlight danced over her tight, black dress. Her bangs nearly went into her big, blue eyes. Three small strands of hair stood out from the tip of her head. She had a lithe figure, and her clothing was black everywhere but her leggings and shoes. Her legs were clad in a black-and-red striped pair of leggings and her shoes shone bright red. Apart from her light armor, which encased her chest and padded the joints of her limbs.

Steve was interested in this person immediately. He could see she preferred the darkness, both from her color of clothing and where she just came from. Even he could see she was beautiful, but he deadpanned. Sam, on the other hand, had his mouth open in admiration.

Steve swiftly punched Sam to snap him out of it, and the girl looked amused. The two soldiers shift into a salute, and she tells them to be at ease.

"Hello, I'm Mavis." She held out her hand and smiled. Steve noticed her forearm was covered in some black cloth. He shook her hand and felt the nylon. Looking up into her face, he saw she gave him a vampiric smile, outlined with black lips.

_Well, she is a sight, but how can she be Kenny's right hand? Could she be who I saw maul that dummy? If so, I should probably keep my thoughts sealed. _

"So, want a proper tour around this place?" Mavis asked.

"Boy would I." Sam blurted, but was soon stopped by Steve.

"We know most of this place already, captain. But we have work to do. Our friend died back there so we can end this war." Steve said wearily.

"What were you able to retrieve?" Mavis seemed genuinely curious as she looked at Sam. His eyes darted to the floor.

"We managed to bring back an old map. It may very well lead us to something that could end this war."

"Can I see it?"

"Sure, just be very careful with it." Sam handed Mavis the ancient map. It was partially destroyed, but the main directions were still intact. Mavis's eyes widened as she tried to remember something she heard a long time ago.

"You're after the Ender scrolls aren't you?" She was in disbelief. "That's just a legend my dad told me of once. We didn't really believe in that kind of stuff back then. But, if the stories are true, this journey is nearly impossible. I would have to go with you."

Steve didn't process the rest of the sentence as he tried to hold in the foolish side of him. _What could this toothpick do? _He quickly fought off this thought and reverted to his self. He was not the sexist type, but this was almost too much for even him. After he regained his composure, he decided not to judge the captain until he saw her in action.

"Yes, we know what we are getting ourselves into, but the shedding of innocent blood has gone on long enough and we will do anything it takes to end it. Come along if you want, but we are setting off as soon as the sun rises." Steve said bluntly. The sun was nearly behind the horizon and Mavis knew what was going on in Steve's head. This feeling is all too natural to her with new soldiers. She decides to let actions speak louder than words.

"Fine, I'll go get some rest. You should too if you want to be your best tomorrow. She smiled and walked toward the main structure. Steve and Sam looked at each other and shrugged. The three men followed from a distance. Kenny and Sam walked into the soldier's dorm as Steve was about to enter.

"Hey." The word shot out of the dark silence and startled Steve.

"Sweet Notch!" he muttered to himself as he turned to see Mavis walking out of the shadows.

She giggled a bit and said, "Follow me." She walked toward the back of the main structure and stood near a painting. Steve scratched his head as he headed toward the dead end. Mavis grabbed the side of the painting and moved it aside, revealing a stairwell. They both walked up and found themselves looking out into a mountain range from the North side of a tall castle.

"Woah." Remarked Steve. He wasn't used to heights such as this. His home fort didn't have the resources to construct them.

"Yeah, I come up here to clear my head. It's nice to find peace in the midst of a war every now and then." Mavis sat and rested her head on her knees.

"I just drink a steaming cup of tea. Nothing helps me relax better than sitting in a cozy chair with a cup of tea in my hands. Although, this comes in as a close second." Steve replied as he sat with her.

The serenity of the view lingered for a couple of seconds. Then Steve's curiosity kicked in.

"So tell me, how did you get to become captain anyway?"

Mavis lifted her eyebrow.

"I mean, what got a girl like you motivated to fight in a war this brutal?"

Mavis looked up as to search for something. "Can I tell you something I don't tell many people?"

Steve blinked, "Sure."

Mavis looked down. "I never knew my mom. Her name was Martha. I was six when my dad told me what happened to her." Mavis bared her fangs for an instant. "She was in the house when my dad was teaching me how to do basic chores. This was twelve years ago, and our home was not yet touched by the horrors of the Wither. The mobs came and burned the house down along with my mom. This-" She placed a hand on her dress. "Is all I have left of her. She made it for me and intended me to wear it when I was in my teenage years."

Steve grew sympathetic. He never knew his parents either. His only item from them was his sword. He looked down at it in its holder. _Persson._ He definitely felt for her as she said this.

"Ever since that day," Mavis continued, "I trained every day at my speed and agility. No mob-" A spark went off in her eyes, "will harm my mom's legacy." Mavis was overcome with emotion until that point. She digressed, "My dad didn't like the idea of me in a war against the monsters that killed his wife, he's a bit overly protective, but five months ago the decision of what I want to do with my life became my choice."Steve noted that she is eighteen. "And I want nothing more than to avenge my mom's death by mowing down every mob in front of me. And believe me," She put her hand to her heart, "So long as I'm alive and well, I will not rest until I," Mavis gave a look to Steve, "We, take down the Wither and the rest of his army."

Steve looked at Mavis, who was now standing upright. "I wouldn't want it any other way." He grinned and followed her hand gesture to come back indoors. They went back down the stairs and past the painting. They took separate paths to their dorms and Steve turned to see Mavis walk into her dorm as two guards blocked the closing doors. The dream flew by his mind and he shook it out. He drowsily opened the doors to the soldier's dorm and realized how tired he was. Sam looked up from his bunk.

"How was the talk?" Sam asked.

Steve was a bit surprised Sam had guessed correctly. He looked down at the letters carved in his sword. "We aren't so different after all." was the last thing he said before letting peaceful slumber consume him.

Insert line here

Morning came quickly as the sun hurried to light the path of the heroes. Kenny gave Mavis permission to join the two men the night before.

She, Steve, and Sam prepared their gear for a grueling journey. It would be much longer and treacherous, but compelling forces bonded the trio together in this desperate struggle for survival.

Steve sharpened his sword against some flint. Sam equipped his bow and tested the string. Mavis sat in her room with her eyes shut, mentally rehearsing every possible situation and fight sequence.

After twelve years of intense training, she has forged her skills in combat and was determined to help end this war at any cost. Steve still had no idea what she was capable of, and despite her rank he didn't think it could amount to much. The three exited their dorms almost in unison.

The time of reckoning was known by most experienced warriors. Steve noticed Mavis's attire had not changed. This must have been the same clothes she wore the day before, however no smell emanated from her figure. Her smile penetrated the darkness.

"Should we get going?" She asked.

"I'll go grab some food and stuff." Sam said as he rushed to the banquet hall.

Mavis's eyes trailed him until he vanished in a corner. "He's a scout isn't he?"

"Yeah, he's a bit new, but he isn't bad. He can guard your back pretty well." He said as he remembered the way he dealt with the Enderman that nearly killed him.

"I started off as a scout myself." Mavis stated as Steve pictured her in leather armor. The image didn't seem right. The armor looked bulky on her. Then Steve had some insight on what exactly Mavis was. He shook the thought out of his head. _Nah, that's insane _he told himself. Sam returned.

"You ready? I have enough food to last us a week." He handed half the load to Steve and he placed it in his pockets. Mavis didn't seem interested in adding weight to herself. Steve noted she didn't eat much as he remembered what she had been doing while the rest of them gorged themselves. "Steve, take the map." Steve grabbed it and felt the old parchment underneath his hands.

"According to this..." he said, "We go south. And that is going straight from the drawbridge." he pointed toward the entrance door of the main structure. "That way."

They opened the two huge doors and walked across the courtyard for some time before they reached the draw bridge. Mavis stared at a guard and he was jolted by her gaze. He nodded quickly. "The captain wishes to pass!" He yelled to the guards in charge of the thick chains that carried the bridge down until it hit the ground with a mighty thud. The trio went across and into the main path of the forest ahead. Sam waved goodbye to the guards and turned to see the path made of cleared trees and dirt.

"Alright," Steve said, "We follow this path until we get to the ravine. Then we turn toward the East and continue in between two mountains."

As Steve continued Sam saw fatigue and restlessness. Mavis saw opportunity and training.

"And after we cross a river," Steve continued, "We will find an entrance to an abandoned mineshaft that houses the scrolls in its deepest chamber." Steve was overwhelmed. "We'll take this one step at a time. First thing's first, to the ravine." He pointed straight ahead. The sun smiled down at them as they began their travels.

**a/n I had a lot of help in this chapter, so I hope you liked it. Review if you want, sorry for such a long wait for this chapter. I hope we can put up a new chapter soon. We do work on it, mind you, we just take a while sometimes as we disagree sometimes. So until next time, Hunter and Locust.**


	7. Revelations

**We don't own Minecr****aft. Ownership goes to Markus Persson, aka Notch, his partners, Mojang, and affiliate companies. Hotel Transylvania is owned by Sony Pictures Animation and Columbia Pictures. **

**a/n Next ch****apter is now up. We've worked on this for a while, and we hope you enjoy it. Review if you want.**

* * *

The sun shone down heavily on our travelers. The wind blew through the leaves and various shrubs of the forest. The trio headed down a path as they admired the movement of the foliage. Mavis, however, had her eyes fixed straight ahead. She could still enjoy the sights but had to be vigilant.

"This might very well be a journey we won't come back from." Sam murmured. He looked at the map in his hands, and shivered. "I also heard of this legend, but I payed most of my attention to the traps and things guarding the scrolls. We're going to have to be on our guard the whole time we're in the mineshaft."

Mavis saw the look of dread in Sam's eyes. She decided to comfort him. "Sam, I used to feel the same way until I basically died." Sam was visually baffled. "Well, a while back when I was about fifteen, one of the pigs in the farm had a litter of babies. I thought they looked cute. One day they mysteriously appeared on the other side of the wall. I decided that they weren't too far away so I left the safety of the fortress to go grab them and bring them back." Steve sprung to life when Mavis mentioned the pigs. Mavis continued.

"I had no idea what was waiting for me when I got there and while I was picking them up, seven Wither skeletons jumped out of the brush and had me pinned. This was my first encounter with the mobs and I finally realized how powerful they were. Well, Kenny sent forces to save me but the one who ran at the head of all of them was my father. He picked up a scalpel and rushed at them. He wrestled them off of me and picked me up back to the fortress. I had the litter safe in my arms."

She stopped and her eyes widened. "I turned around to see one of the guards torn to pieces by the Wither skeletons. I can still hear his shrieks for mercy." Mavis closed her eyes. "It was my fault he died that day. I trained twice as hard since then and strived to perfect my skills. That guard died for my sake; I took his place in existence. Well, when the time comes I won't be afraid to lay down my life just as he did. I already died back there near that litter of pigs." Mavis finished.

Steve was moved. He felt even closer to the captain than last dusk. Sam remembered how he had nearly died in the catacombs protecting Steve.

Sam, after a stunned silence, replied, "While I'm not in the war for the same reason and I haven't had anyone die for me quite yet, I never thought of it that way."

Steve stopped the group, sensing something wrong in the wind.

"Come, something's nearby. We should hide." Mavis needed no further prompting and hid quickly. Steve couldn't see her. _Hopefully, neither will whatever is close._ Sam dove into the nearest bush, letting the armor cushion him from the pinpricks. Steve jumped into a tree, ready to fight. He crouched in the tree, unsheathing his sword.

One spider ran along the path, looking around. Steve got ready to kill, knowing that spiders could sense the heat from a human, even through walls and such. It hissed at where he was, and Steve lunged.

He stabbed his sword through the spider's skull, and immediately an arrow pierced into his armor. He turned to see a band of mobs of all kinds, and they rushed towards him. He paled, but steeled himself.

He punched a creeper to get it glowing, then stabbed his sword into the ground and kicked the creeper into the rest of the mobs. They scattered before the creeper detonated, and behind him a zombie moaned. He turned around and sliced the zombie's face cleanly. He felt something behind him, then Sam barreled through the Wither skeleton behind him.

He bashed his sword pommel into the dark skeleton's face and stood. He turned to see Mavis standing in between a small horde of mobs. _Notch, she needs my help. _He ran toward her but immediately froze in place as he looked past her shroud and saw a fire burn within her.

Mavis sidestepped an incoming stone sword and grabbed the Wither skeleton's shoulder. In one swift motion she rolled along its back as her cape danced at her side and plunged into one of the Wither's comrades, latching onto its sword. With one perfect blow, she smashed her fist into the skeleton's jaw and it released the sword instantly. She dodged another blade, twisted for momentum and sent the stolen sword into the skeleton's ribs. She released the imbedded sword and the skeleton fell.

A furious Wither skeleton slashed at her with all of its force, Mavis didn't seem to notice. Steve nearly yelled out to her when she turned and grabbed the skeleton by his hands, the force of the strike lost in her grip. Sensing an incoming blow from behind, she bent the captive skeleton's arm and used its sword to block the attack. She kicked the attacking skeleton away and bent the captive skeleton once more and drove its own sword through its ribs. She dropped the skeleton along with its sword and ducked under a horizontal slash. She reached for her attacker and twisted its head until it made a high-pitched snap.

She turned and noticed a group of zombies. She dashed for them and her speed influenced the cape to flow straight. She leapt and sent her foot into a zombie's face. She went over it and punched another zombie's throat. It went down wheezing. She focused her attention on the nearest zombie and kicked the inside of its leg. As it slouched she jumped and launched her knee into its chin. Bones cracked and the zombie fell; it was dead before it hit the ground. Another zombie quickly took its place. Mavis delivered a perfectly placed round kick to the zombie's chin. The deceased muscle structure tore and, to Steve's horror, its jaw was sent soaring to the left of its owner. Blood trailed it as the zombie fell to his knees and dropped.

She rotated and saw a zombie but heard an all too familiar noise. She ducked as an arrow whizzed by her head and turbulence blew through her three spikes of hair. The arrow plunged into the zombie's head and blood sprayed onto the floor as it hit the dirt ground. Mavis turned to see a band of Wither skeletons and their smaller relative. A second arrow was fired and she, to Steve's amazement, enclosed her hand around it an inch from her face. She dropped the arrow and saw the Wither skeletons get into a fighting stance. There were four of them including the archer in the back.

Sam imposed his will and shot an arrow at the archer. It turned as the arrow went into its eye socket. The tip went out the other end of its skull and bone fragments scattered in all directions as it fell with a crash. One Wither skeleton turned to look at its fallen friend as Mavis seized the opportunity. She ran forward and knocked the skeleton to the floor. As soon as the skeleton's head hit the floor it was crushed underneath Mavis's crimson shoe. She then faced the enraged Wither skeleton to the right of the battle formation. As she prepared to fight it, the skeleton positioned on the left grabbed her from behind and the second skeleton rose its sword in the air. Mavis had mentally prepared for everything. She thrusted her head back into the skeleton's face and shot her body to the left. The dazed skeleton orientated to find a sword in his chest and he reluctantly released his grip as he died. The last skeleton standing was rewarded with a punch that broke through his skull. He died and joined the rest of his squad.

As Steve was watching he noticed more zombies and ran toward them. He rammed his shield into the first one and it collided into the zombie behind it. Steve heard a zombie behind him and turned to see it fall with an arrow in the back of its head. Sam came into view and he raised his hand. Steve grinned and faced his enemies. There were many zombies in this horde and Mavis ran in to help.

As she neared the horde she stood still. Steve's eyes widened as blades emerged from the nylons on Mavis's arms. Nothing could extinguish the fire that was lit inside of her now. She ran at her first target and lunged; her cape tailed her body perfectly.

Steve could make out that the height of the jump could easily clear his own height. He was about five feet and eight inches tall.

She vaulted the first zombie and rose her leg into the air. She brought it down sharply and it connected with the second zombie's shoulder; ligaments and tendons were torn like sheets of paper. The zombie's left arm was rendered useless. She then made a tactical slash to the zombie's neck with her unsheathed blade. The zombie trembled and hit the ground as it spasmed. Mavis knew where to strike. She quickly laid waste to three more zombies. Sam was picking off the zombies with the least mobility and Steve thrusted and stabbed mightily. A horde of zombies was converted into one in a matter of seconds. Mavis had pinned the last one faced down. She turned her head just before she plunged her blade into the zombie's neck. It stopped struggling instantly. She rose from where she had the newly killed zombie pinned and wiped her blades on the grass before they disappeared in her nylon sleeves.

Steve gaped as she walked back to him and Sam. "How... that was absolutely amazing."

"Yeah, well my father is a surgeon." Mavis started to drone off.

"Still, I mean, even back there with the dummies... I've never seen a better fighter." Steve thought about her fighting style, and one sole thought whizzed through his head. _Assassin. _

Mavis was satisfied. She knew her rank would be a little more definite now that they have seen her in action.

Steve gained a new respect for the captain. He was sure even he couldn't compete with her.

Sam, on the other hand, was babbling. "That was incredible, so fast... there and then there... I couldn't even see you, there were so many of them... see why you're captain." He panted with excitement and fatigue.

"Well, nothing less is expected of me with all my years of training. Let's continue our journey." Mavis said; she never blushed but she was still a bit flattered.

The group turned as they headed south. Steve cringed at the amount of blood that had accumulated on his armor and looked at Mavis. Not a drop of blood dirtied her graceful attire. Steve couldn't believe it but shrugged and wiped infected blood of his armor. Mavis was a labyrinth to Steve and Sam.

"So," Mavis started to speak, "How much farther until we reach the ravine?"

"Well, I would say... we are about half way there." Replied Steve. Sam gave a disapproving moan and Mavis continued walking her bobless walk. Her cape enwrapped her entire body, and if it weren't for her mostly pale face, she would be completely invisible at night. Her huge blue eyes became fixed onto the track again. The trio would walk until they reach the ravine a great distance away. Their goal was set and after Mavis joined the group it didn't seem like much could stop them.

* * *

Mavis didn't appreciate the monotony of the walk. She climbed onto a tree and started to travel in this fashion. Sam marveled at her climbing and jumping abilities. She would jump, cling on to a branch, and hoist herself up with no sign of fatigue in her arms. Nothing seemed to trouble her in this state of calmness.

Mavis crouched on top of a tall tree and stopped as her eyes scanned the scene in front of her. Sam noticed this.

"What's the matter?" He called from below.

Mavis took a while to respond. She gazed off into the distance. "You guys should see this."

Steve and Sam walked further until they saw a gigantic gap in the landscape. The bottom contained a mixture of ores and lava. The sun was lowering itself on to the horizon as to congratulate the travelers on a job well done. The light illuminated the first levels of the ravine and the lava gave a dreary effect to the dark depths of the ravine. The sight was breathtaking. Steve turned to see Mavis perched on the tree, her eyes wide with amazement. Her shroud fluttered slowly in the wind and the way she looked up on that tree made Steve question which sight was greater. He decided to abruptly direct their attention from the ravine.

"Guys, it's getting kind of late. The mobs will have our hides if we don't find shelter soon." He said. He motioned them toward a cave. "We'll camp in here until the sun comes up." Sam didn't look too happy about spending a night in a cave. Mavis jumped down from the twenty foot tree with a flip and ended her dismount in a roll. She stood up and walked to the cave nonchalantly. Steve blinked and questioned what he just saw. He walked alongside her and Sam helped Steve pull two boulders in front of the caves entrance. Sam lit a torch and placed it in the cave; it glowed vigorously and shadows danced on the cave walls.

The cave was secure for it didn't go deeper into the earth. Sam passed out food. Steve took a large piece of steak while Mavis reached for an apple. She chewed with grace as she kept her lips sealed and she ate. She gave a glance to the men beside her who tore at their food like wild animals. Mavis sipped her water as the two men guzzled it down like they would never see another drop for a month.

The trio had satisfied their hunger and went to bed on the cave ground. Steve removed his iron armor and Sam allowed the leather to cushion him as he slept. The two laid down as Mavis sat on a flat rock with her eyes delicately shut. She would rest for the duration of the night which, to her, was just as good as sleeping but didn't require you to let your guard down. She let her cape cocoon her to insulate her warmth as she did every time she walked when no danger was amongst them. The stone doors allowed the toxic carbon monoxide to exit the cave so they wouldn't suffocate. The mobs paid no attention to a glimmering cave entrance for they were busy accommodating the Wither's ultimate plan.

* * *

Steve and Sam opened their weary eyes. Steve drowsily said, "Morning, time to get up."

Mavis's eyes opened instantly, fully rested with no redness in them to dull her radiant beauty. Steve was surprised at her position on the rock; she hadn't moved an inch from her original spot. She stood up after Steve and placed herself in front of him.

"Shouldn't we get going?" She asked him. "We have a long walk ahead of us."

Steve nodded and held out his hand to Sam. He took it and rose to his feet, looking a little sleep deprived despite the fact they slept early. He rubbed his eyes and looked back at Steve. They had a lot of food the night before and didn't feel very hungry at the moment.

"I'll get the stone on the left." He finally said and pushed the rock out of the entrance. Steve replaced his armor. The torch's glow had died and they left it behind. The trio exited the cave and could see the ravine along with their original path.

"East is that way." Steve said pointing toward the sunrise. They took off for the two mountains that was just visible but blurred by the distance fog. A desert lay in between them and their current goal. They couldn't take a diagonal route from the fortress because of a huge, steep mountain range. This way would be quicker.

"Just great." Said Sam with a sad look on his face. He really didn't like the heat of a desert and his armor didn't help either.

"Well," replied Steve, "We knew this wasn't going to be a walk in the park. Think about the people back at home. We must endure this and defeat the Wither for them."

They continued their trek. The transition from the forest to the desert seemed almost immediate. Sam was panting and sweating a bucket's worth of water. Steve wasn't taking the heat much better. He was constantly wiping sweat off his head and squinting his eyes to restrict the passage of the light being reflected off the sand. He could only imagine how bad it must have been for Mavis. She was dressed from neck to toe in black clothes and also had a cape above it all. Steve turned to look at Mavis and she was walking in her usual recoilless style. She didn't have a drop of sweat on her and glanced back at Steve with a look of confusion.

"How are you not sweating?" Steve asked in shock.

"Perspiration isn't my thing." She said as she hovered over the sandy ground. She could feel every grain of it underneath her shoes and kept her eyes on her goal.

Sam didn't believe she wasn't sweating and inspected further. He found nothing.

After hours of walking they found an oasis. Sam put his face into it and sucked in the life-giving water. Steve put his hands inside and drank what he picked up from the water hole. Mavis followed after Steve as she utilized her narrow hands like a tiny bowl. As she drank, none of her black lipstick wore off. She didn't drink much and together they were satisfying their thirst.

An Enderman stared at them from a distance while they drank. It teleported away to give the message.

Mavis turned a fraction of a second too late. She heard the noise while she had been drinking, so she arose quickly and swiveled her head but stood there looking at purple ashes float to the sandy ground on top of a distant hill. Steve and Sam had no idea what had just happened. They turned and saw Mavis walking toward their destination, so they refilled their bottles, got up, and followed. "Stay on your guard." She said as they walked on.

As they made their way to the middle of the desert, they found a temple. Two small towers stood on either side of its main structure. They all knew what hid beneath its floors but it wouldn't be worth much in times of war such as this. They decided to go around it.

The group passed many cactuses and hills. They encountered a lone creeper and Sam aimed his bow at it. Before he shot at it, it turned to look at them and blew up. The sound of the explosion echoed through the silent desert and could be heard from miles away. Steve and the others pressed on. Mavis turned and frowned at the crater. She feared what might happen next.

Surely enough the band of heroes met the end of the desert and could see the two mountains not too far away. Sam gave a cheer and the team continued for a bit before stopping dead in their tracks, everyone's mouth gaping excluding Mavis.

She bared her teeth. "They knew we were coming."

* * *

**So there you go. Lots of credit to my co-writer Locust, who interestingly goes by ****The Zing now... Hope you're willing to w****ait a while more for the next installment, check out my other stories if you're bored and got the time. Otherwise, have a nice morning/afternoon/night. **


	8. Mountain Mayhem

**Don't own Minecraft. Markus Persson/Notch does, along with his partners, Mojang, and affiliate companies. I don't own Hotel Transylvania either, that'd be Sony A****nimations and Columbia Pictures.**

**OK So next chapter is up. **

Smoke was seen flowing out from between the two mountains and a mob camp came into view. Bats and smoke kept the mobs below safe from the scorching rays of the sun. It seemed to shine down harder as it tried to penetrate the darkness and clear the path for the heroes, alas the bats and smoke were too thick for even the sun to burn through.

Archers had fashion bow turrets that guarded the sides of the mountains. The group couldn't sneak around it lest they be skewered while climbing slowly over the great rocks. Mavis started to strategize but was beaten by Steve.

"Alright, I will block Sam from incoming fire while you call their attention from the other side." Steve looked at Mavis who looked back at him with smile. She took off running faster than a dashing ocelot. The skeleton on the right flank turned and noticed her. It rotated the heavy turrets and fired. These arrows were ten times larger than normal arrows and consumed the space around it as they were launched toward Mavis. She hadn't expected the mobs to make such an effective device. She just sidestepped an incoming arrow and continued, a little discouragement influenced by the quickness of the arrows flew by her mind. She shunned it out as quickly as it came into her thoughts. _Test your speed, _she told herself.

Steve was shielding Sam from fire on the left flank of the camp. The great size of the projectiles were too much for the shield to bear alone, so Steve would have to swipe them away with the shield or it would penetrate the metal without a doubt. He couldn't possibly take the fire from both flanks and was thankful Mavis could handle one on her own. He looked at her and knew she had to take her speed up a notch. The intense movement of her dodging tactics created motion blurs and her outline rippled like water. Steve smiled and hit another arrow away from Sam's path.

The mobs frowned at each other and sent Wither skeletons out to combat their foes. The zombies would stay until the heroes came closer under the black expanse unless they wanted to walk out and burn to death.

Sam was conflicted. He knew that Mavis was in potential danger, and if any of the bolts hit her, she'd be dead or soon dead, incapacitated and waiting for mobs to finish her off. But if he missed, the turret skeleton would notice him and start firing at him. Steve was off defending Sam from one, and he wouldn't be able to save himself with the bolt's speed coming from two angles..

He shot an arrow. The turret ceased firing at Steve and Sam and a skeleton fell to the ground. The male pair were free from bolts, but Mavis was still being fired at. She dashed faster and faster, and as she neared the turret, the bolts were getting to her quicker. Steve gasped as a second skeleton sent an arrow straight for Mavis. She turned and sidestepped the arrow and rotated once more to face a spear nearing her body quicker than she could have ever imagined She threw her body to the ground.

The two male soldiers could hear the impact of metal on metal. Chips of iron were scattered in all directions, and Mavis was laid out on the grass. The wind blew through her hair and she was still.

Steve stared. He didn't know how to react. Wither skeletons making their way toward Mavis directed their attention to Steve and Sam. The moment lingered and time slowed down.

The sun looked down in blind anger. It scorched the bats above the lone skeleton archer and forced them to the side. The ground that the skeleton stood on glew and it looked up. The sun sent consuming light down onto the skeleton and he burst into flames. The skeleton ran for help but the mobs backed away from him. He flailed his arms in the air and fell to the ground. His body remained on fire until its bones blackened.

Steve saw red, his captain on the grass next to the turret. He growled, and rushed headlong into the Wither skeleton group. He slashed his sword through one of the Wither skeletons, and another ran towards him from behind. It grabbed him, letting the other skeletons come closer for a kill.

Steve threw the skeleton over himself, sending the skeleton into multiple of its brethren. Steve dodged one sword slice and rammed his head into his attacker. It stumbled back, and Steve thrust his sword through its eye.

He could feel the bloodthirst of battle, and grinned. He punched one Wither skeleton, relishing in the feel of its bony skull cracking under his fist.

Sam watched as Steve was killing them off, shooting an occasional arrow into the ones farthest from Steve. He nocked an arrow, ready to send it into a Wither skeleton, when one came behind him. He turned and shot the arrow, but missed. It whizzed past the Wither skeleton's head, and it leered down at him. It chopped down with its sword, and Sam jumped out of the way of the blade.

He slammed his bow into its skull, hoping to at least stun it. He was surprised when it fell, crumpled, and was still.

The turret skeleton watched, not getting a clear shot at the one who was killing off all its brothers. It turned as it saw a blur, but it was too late.

Steve saw as a shadowy figure emerged from the turret. It turned it around with a mighty heave and shot a barrage of bolts into the horde of awaiting zombies. It turned toward Steve and smiled.

_Mavis? _Steve thought and was awakened from the state of confusion when a Wither skeleton brought its sword down on him. Steve brought up his own sword and the two clashed. Steve saw this was the last of their squad.

Steve pushed as hard as he could, and the skeleton stumbled and turned. He sliced his sword up the skeleton's body, and kicked the corpse away. Steve grinned as he finished off the last enemy around him. He looked to Mavis, who was using the turret to decimate the undead horde in the shadows.

Sam was running up to Steve, and Steve pointed to Mavis. The two hurried to her aid and took control of the second turret on the left flank. The multitude of zombies were deteriorating and the bats looked down sadly on their dying allies.

All of the zombies were motionless and the grass was drenched with blood. The bats saw no purpose to stay and flew away as one. Their beating wings cleared all of the smoke and the group's spirits were lifted when the sun greeted them and shone light down on the camp. The zombies burned almost instantly and disappeared leaving only ashes. Sam turned to the others.

"Well look at that. Instant summer." Sam said contently. He looked up into the sky and felt at peace. He closed his eyes for a moment and then quickly opened them.

"Wait, how did you survive!?" Sam said. The beautiful light distracted Steve from asking the question as well.

"Yeah," Followed Steve, "We thought that bolt killed you." Sam looked down in shame.

"It wasn't easy," Mavis started, "When that archer shot an arrow off at me, it turned my attention away from the turret for a moment. The bolt was headed straight for my stomach." Steve looked down to see it wasn't protected. "So, I dropped myself as I went to my right and got away with just an impact sore." She rubbed the freshly cracked armor. The bolt hit her about where the ribs end. An inch lower and it would have killed her. Steve was glad Mavis was alright.

Sam was now excited. "Come on, we need to get to the river." He said with enthusiasm. The group walked on. The camp was relatively small and when they walked fully across it, the sun was about to set in a while. Surprisingly the river wasn't that far away. The group walked to it and the sun began to lay on the horizon. They made it to the river but they needed to find a place to stay for the night. Steve looked around and could see a house not too far away. The trio ran towards it, making it to the door as the sky turned orange.

Steve grabbed the doorknob, but stopped and knocked. He could hear a voice on the other side, muttering swear words. Someone opened the door, and he was not happy.

**Hunter a/n: I truly hoped you enjoy this chapter. Sorry it was a bit short, or rather that the other ones lately have been long. Either way, let's see some reviews? Or if you're shy, I don't mind you PMing me or something along those lines. Hope you keep reading and liking it. Until next time, people.  
**

**The Zing a/n Hey, it's The Zing here and I want you to know that your reviews matter. We need to see what you guys think of the story so far. These comments take about three minutes to make at most so please, show your support by leaving one for us.  
**


	9. Magical Magic of the Mage

**We don't own Minecraft. Notch, his partners, Mojang, and affiliate companies do. We don't own Hotel T, Sony Pictures does.**

**So you know, chapter 9 and all. We hope you like it, and perhaps review if you got the time. Obviously, The ****Z**ing is my co-writer, so he's just a big a part of this as I am. He's a big help, and a major reason to why these chapters go up so rapidly. I work on other fanfics as well, so he works on this one while I do other things. This story is a mixture of our writing, so you cannot just thank me.

**Sorry it took so long. We've been busy with school and such. But it's up now, and that's what's important. We really hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

Steve examined the young man who opened the door. His attire was comprised of seemingly ancient and tattered robes, and in his left hand he held a leathery tome. The young man scowled.

"Yes? What do you want? I was meditating." He asked.

Steve was curious. "Why were you meditating?"

The young man stood up straight. "I'm Solomon, a mage. I was harnessing my mana when you interrupted me."

Sam scoffed at this. "You expect us to believe you're a mage?"

Solomon scowled again. He levitated the book he held and asked, "That proof enough, _sir?_" He snorted. "Now, what do you want?"

Mavis stayed quiet and studied this new character.

Steve replied. "Night will soon fall, and we need a place to stay."

"How does this affect me?"

"We're asking you to let us stay here for the night."

Solomon looked over the three soldiers. Nodding, he replied that they could stay. "But you two gonna let the girl get the guest room? Chivalry and that stuff?"

Mavis looked indignant. "I'd rather sleep outside." Mavis wasn't fond of mages. They didn't have to get close for the kill. Sam was no different but at least there was some skill necessary in being a Scout.

Solomon replied. "Sure, whatever you say." He seemed to say this a bit too sweetly for Mavis's liking.

Steve stepped in before anyone got too fired up. "Look, it's dark out, everyone should get some sleep. Solomon, thanks for letting us stay here. Tomorrow I'll find a way to repay you."

Solomon looked at Mavis up and down, and smirked. "I'm sure you'll find a way." She glared at him and he just kept smirking. She attempted to unravel his meaning, and sensed nothing truly lecherous. He realized he should check them out before proceeding his pokes.

Letting his mana course through him, his eyes flashed and he could see how strong they were. Flames marked the person's power.

Steve's flame burned steadily, but it seemed to be holding back. Even holding back, however, it seemed to consume his torso. He cocked his head in wonder, but focused on Sam next.

His flame was small, so small it was like he could see the embers. But it still seemed to fluctuate, going from an apple to a pumpkin and back. Conceivably, it'd grow when he was in danger or mad, as flames do.

Mavis's fire burned intensely. It was steady, barely flickering around at all. It was startlingly big, the base at her feet and the tips licking at her head. Solomon blinked to make sure he wasn't seeing things, but no. Her flame was indeed that big.

He nearly gaped, but kept a cool composure. Solomon didn't trust these three enough to let them know the extent of his power. _Let them think I'm barely strong enough to levitate. If they try anything funny, they won't know what hit them. Still, that girl might pose an issue._ He smiled at the three, and led them inside.

"Want me to fix that for you?" He said, a little anxious to reveal a glimpse of his power. Mavis raised her eyebrow. She doubted a mage could use an anvil effectively and was curious.

"Alright." She said as she pulled off her chest plate. It was light and she handed it to Solomon.

He carried the chest plate to the table and set it down. He grabbed an iron ingot from his chest, set it next to the armor, and got to work. His tome levitated over his left palm and his eyes closed, Solomon's magic fractured the iron ingot into pieces perfectly molded for the armor. The pieces floated and fit into the armor, and the now complete armor puffed forward.

Mavis blinked and reached for her formerly cracked armor. She slipped it over her head and Steve playfully rolled his eyes when none of her hair ruffled. She tested the metal with her fist and smiled in contentment. "Thanks." _M__aybe there's more to mages than I initially thought..._

After they properly introduced themselves, Steve was curious as to how much this mage knew, or at least how much he'd let on.

"So you do know there's a war going on, right?"

"I try not to focus on what goes on outside. I prefer to focus on my studies and meditation."

As Solomon said this, Steve noticed the house had no windows.

"I see. How strong of a mage do you think you are? We could use someone like you." Steve stared at Solomon to see how he'd react.

Solomon grinned, "Oh I'm not really strong. Levitating is one of my favorite things, though. Even if it's one of the first things a young mage learns. You learn the more interesting stuff later on-"

Steve interrupted him. "Just how far are you in your studies?"

Solomon looked at Steve. "Far enough. Now, let's go to bed." _It seems he's smart enough to try to get me to reveal more than I would like to. Best time to go to bed before he gets what he wants._

Solomon soon led the three tired warriors to the guest room.

"So... I'll leave you to figure out who sleeps where." He left to get some more meditating in before sleeping.

Steve was suspicious. Mages were normally powerful, but this one seemed to be hiding how much power he really had. He'd keep his guard up, in case he tried anything fishy. He urged Mavis to sleep in the bed, despite her protests. The other two soldiers slept on the floor on opposite sides of the bed.

Steve waited until the other two were asleep, then crept outside the room to Solomon's door. He sensed no movement on the other side, and guessed that he was asleep. Confident in his group's safety, he yawned, returned to his spot in the guest room, and laid down on the floor. He went to sleep soon after.

Mavis lay awake, with her eyes closed. She could hear Steve's movements. She let out a small smile. _Heh__**, **__he thinks I'm asleep. Steve seems to want this man to travel with us. Just so long as he doesn't bug me with any magic stuff we should be ok. _She thought to herself and rested.

Solomon slept in his bed. It could hardly be considered a bed. The woolen cover was thin, and old wheat was underneath to act as cushioning. But the wheat was too old, so it was brittle and stiff. Solomon didn't mind; it was just a helpful way to prod himself away from unnecessary sloth and focus on empowering himself.

He rolled around, in his dream tangling with the different outcomes of whether he go with Steve's group or stay. He woke up drenched in sweat. Some power had reverberated through his dream, and it had not been his own. It, however, made the decision for him. He knew whether to stay or go. He would ask the warrior trio only one question tomorrow, both to reassure himself, and to keep some sort of semblance of control.

*line*

The cold air outside typical of a cloudy day penetrated the house's walls, and a chill went through everyone.

Solomon was busying himself making breakfast when the three warriors came into the kitchen to sit at the table. Steve could see four small raw chickens on the table, and Solomon washed his hands before grasping one. His eyes flashed and the chicken became cooked and steamed. Once the chickens were split between the four, Steve could see Solomon's hands were steaming as well.

The mage began to speak. "Before I can say if I'll join your group or not, I need to know where you're going." Solomon knew in the back of his mind that he was joining no matter what.

Mavis seemed hesitant to relay such vital information to a basic stranger, but Steve had no such qualms.

"We're going to find the Ender Scrolls. It might be a key to finishing this war without our extinction."

Solomon nodded, and agreed to join. Soon, the chicken was gone, and everyone but Solomon was ready to go.

"You sit tight, I'm just going to get some stuff we might need." Solomon rushed over to his room and opened a chest. Inside was a belt with little bags attached, and Solomon donned the belt. Each pouch had different materials that a mage could use.

His left hand held his tome, filled with spells ranging from elemental to healing and helpful to nearly forbidden and dark. Of course, he saw no need to tell the group that. If the situation called for it, they'd find out anyways.

He rushed to the group and Steve opened the map. Steve examined the map, trying to figure out where they were.

"OK so we're here." He pointed to a spot on the map near a river. "On the other side of this river is the mine entrance." Steve looked satisfied. The journey had been long but it was finally nearing the end. They went outside and walked toward the river. Solomon eyed Mavis's walking style and laughed.

"You have the vampire walk down, don't you?" Solomon said with a smile. He was genuinely intrigued. He had tried this walk along time ago when first becoming a mage but it was hard to keep it up. He was impressed when he saw Mavis's success. Mavis replied with a smile.

The group of four drank from the river. The group didn't like the idea of getting drenched in the river, and Solomon saw a golden opportunity to show the group they made a good decision in including him.

His tome floated over his left hand, and the book opened, fluttering through pages until abruptly, they stopped. Symbols floated off of the book and hovered over it. At once, all of the stones on the bottom of the river rose to the surface and created a bridge. The group walked over it and when everyone was across Solomon waved his hand across the air and the stones sunk into the river. The travelers walked until they could see the entrance to the mine a little distance away. Sam gave a cheer and this time Mavis joined him.

All the stories her dad told her when she was young were correct and she was in disbelief. "Holy rabies."

Steve and Sam gave her a funny look, and Solomon just laughed. She didn't notice.

All of them were too much in awe to notice dark movement in the shadows.

* * *

**Hunter A/N: So that was Chapter 9, and Chapter 10 will be up sometime not too far up. We hope you liked it, review, or PM me, or something to show you liked it. If you did.**

**Zing A/N: ****Hey, it's The Zing here and I want you to know that your reviews matter. We need to see what you guys think of the story so far. These comments take about three minutes to make at most so please, show your support by leaving one for us.**


	10. Scrolls Secured

**I don't own Minecraft. Notch does, as well as his partners, Mojang, and affiliate companies. Hotel Transylvania is owned by Sony Animations and Columbia Pictures.**

**We're (Zing and I) terribly sorry this took so long. Hopefully the wait made this suspenseful? No? Ah well. The tenth chapter has finally been put up! Here you go. **

**We have much more planned. We used time planning this, and school was some distraction too. So... sorry. **

**If you're interested, I have a poll. It's about your favorite passive mob.**

**Also, we have a contest! If you can answer this trivia question correctly you win a sneak peek at the new chapter! NOT this next chapter, but something up in the future that is much cooler. PM me or review or something. Preferably PM. We don't want a mess in the Reviews page. **

**Question: In Left 4 Dead 2, who does Ellis constantly tell stories about? **

* * *

So preoccupied were the four adventurers with celebrating partial victory, they almost didn't notice movement in the trees on their right near the entrance to the mine. Mavis turned her head and knew it was time to fight. She warned the others of the nearby hostiles.

The three got ready, both physically and mentally. Steve adjusted his helmet, making sure it wouldn't crop out any of his vision. Sam tweaked his bowstring, allowing for the perfect level of elasticity and give. Mavis simply brushed herself off, everything she had already kept constantly at peak condition.

Steve focused and remembered all the innocent people and animals (especially pigs) that lived on the Overworld, and if they failed at getting the scrolls all of those living things would die. His eyes flashed and steeled, and he unsheathed his sword.

Sam only wanted to protect the people he'd come to know. He knew everything could come down to this. He plucked at his bowstring absentmindedly, an arrow nocked just above his finger.

Mavis felt uneasy, but reminded herself of what the mobs did to her mother, and that her father could be next if they died during this mission. She bared her teeth and adjusted her hidden blades under her nylon sleeves.

Solomon smiled, being able to see them prepare. He looked at their flames as they readied themselves. Sam's fluctuating flame evened out and stayed at pumpkin size. Steve's went from engulfing his torso to some wisps reaching for his hair, and the base was at the bottom of his stomach. Mavis's simply stayed the same, base at the ground closest to her feet and tips eating her hair.

Solomon simply muttered some words of power, raising both his power and his flame size. He gripped his tome in his left hand just a bit harder. The four were about to go in when an arrow thunked into the ground behind them. Mavis turned around first, and rolled into cover behind some stone. Sam and Solomon ran inside the cave entrance, placing their trust in the rickety wooden planks that kept the mountain from caving in, and got their ranged weapons ready.

Steve went on the offensive, not willing to let some mobs stop their mission before it even truly began. He rushed towards the arrow's source when he was rebuffed by bony black skeletons. Steve sliced off one head and Sam shot another from the entrance. Solomon walked out and his tome levitated.

Symbols lifted from his book and Solomon's power was unleashed. His magic influenced the wind to blow how he wished, and a small tornado whirled towards the trees. Leaves were violently ripped off, revealing skeletons among the branches. Solomon pushed his tornado harder and scrambled the bony archers. Bones fell as the tornado was released into a gentle breeze.

Steve dodged blow after blow, but one Wither skeleton managed to get a hit in, sending him tumbling to his friends. Solomon commanded the leaves in the air, stiffening and sharpening them until they became deadly projectiles. He sent them down into the wither skeleton squad and their bones were scratched and pierced and sliced. They all collapsed into a heap of bone dust and fragments. The gentle breeze blew away some dust and the leaves that had converted back to harmless chlorophyllic vessels for photosynthesis.

Every skeleton that had been outside was now in pieces and dust floating away in the wind. Steve was impressed by Solomon's swift finale to the mob ambush, and worried by the seemingly ever increasing intelligence of the mobs.

The four relaxed themselves a bit before entering the cavern. Steve could see the ceiling was two times his own height, and the darkness penetrated all the way up.

Solomon simply lit a fireball in his palm, and it glowed, shining shadows all over the walls. Sam shivered but the other three were unfazed by the sheer creepiness. They walked on, their steps resonating on the walls and echoing down.

Sam ran ahead when he saw light, and stumbled through a tripwire. The ground in front of him opened up, revealing lava far below. Steve dashed forward and grabbed Sam before he could fall.

"Be careful, everyone," he said after the pistons refilled the ground. "There could be more traps ahead." The other three nodded, and Sam was visibly shaken.

The four kept walking, with Steve in front this time. Behind him was Mavis, then Solomon, and Sam was guarding the rear. Steve held his hand up, and everyone stopped except for Sam. The bump moved along the group, and Steve fell forward.

Everything slowed down, and Mavis gaped then reached to grab him. Her fingers missed by an inch. Steve's arms pinwheeled, and he wasn't on the ground anymore. She screamed.

"Steve!" She cried out his name and felt it bounce off the opposite wall on the other side of the chasm. She prepared to jump after him; she could catch up to him on the way down and work out a way to save him. She was interrupted by the sound of Steve calling back.

Mavis looked down to see Steve on some bridge. It looked like a ladder had fallen and perfectly stayed between their side, and what lay beyond.

"OK, I don't know how much weight the bridge can hold. Let me go across, and if it holds, you guys can pass through." He slowly walked across, and the three above him held their breath.

He made it to the center, and Steve smiled. The rest of the group cheered slightly, until they heard a crumbling sound. Mavis looked down and saw the perches where the ladder edges were started to break. Steve's smile faltered.

Pebbles fell as the bridge did, and Steve plummeted as well. This time, Mavis was ready. She slung herself down and grabbed Steve's arms. Her feet caught her, and she could feel Solomon and Sam pull her up.

Steve was amazed at her stunt, and thanked her. She flippantly responded that it was nothing, and they carried on going back the way they came and turned through another passage.

They trekked on through the derelict caverns. It was easy to get lost for all of the tunnels were nearly identical to confuse mobs from entering the final chamber. Steve knew the navigation inside of the mine would be complex so he drew a map of where they had been.

"Anywhere particular we should look?" Steve asked, "Because I doubt wandering around aimlessly isn't going to get us to the chamber."

"Wasn't it in the center at the deepest level?" Replied Sam, "We should take every staircase going down and maybe we will find it faster."

This idea seemed logical to Steve, so he agreed. They walked straight until they found a flight of stairs. Sam smiled and Solomon was about to figure out a way to light the path down for the group when a wind came from up the depths of the stairs and blew out the flame on top of Solomon's hand.

The darkness came down heavy on the group. Steve tested the lack of vision and noticed he could not see his own hand when held inches before his face. The wind blew through Mavis's cloak and she was indifferent towards the dark. She ran quickly but made no noise lest she give her position away to the mobs that might have set this up. When Solomon lit his flame again, Mavis was amongst them once more, only this time she had a bundle of torches with her. Two in total.

"Maybe we can use these?" She lit the torches and distributed them to Steve and Sam. Steve doubted she could navigate successfully in the pitch black darkness, but took the torch gratefully. The light gave him comfort and a sense of stability. They walked down the stairs and were greeted by a door.

Steve came closer and realized it was made of iron. After trying to open it didn't yield to passage, Steve and Sam kicked and slammed the door but it was locked from the inside. Mavis frowned, though not in frustration. She saw a tiny glint of light coming from the wall near the ceiling which was now four times their height.

"Hey, Steve, shine your torch right there please?" Mavis asked and the source of the illumination was uncovered. It was a small hole leading from their current room to the next.

"So, the trials begin..." Mavis said under her breath as she place her foot into a divot in the wall and thrust herself upward, latching onto the hole with one hand. She quickly pulled herself up and disappeared behind the stone wall. The group could hear the sound of metal being tinkered around and the door opened with a creak. They were shocked to see Mavis hanging upside down from the doorway. Steve rubbed his eyes. He didn't see her hair or cape flow down but when he looked up to check again she was already back on the floor.

"I don't think those dispensers hold cookies." She said and waved to some tripwires Steve followed them to the dispensers that Mavis had referred to. Solomon's tome lifted, the mage raised his hand, and in the center of every tripwire a small ember appeared. The other three watched as the embers lit the strings.

Solomon smirked as the flames entered the dispensers. The arrows all lit on fire, and the dispensers seemed charred. Steve walked through the former trap, and it seemed Solomon's magic worked. No arrows came flying through the air, and upon closer inspection by Mavis, all the arrows were burnt and crispy. Only flint and ash remained.

Sam felt sad for the waste of arrows, and Solomon almost laughed at his expression. The mage reignited his fireball, and the group kept going. The others carried their lit torches, save for Mavis.

"Seems like they really don't want us to grab the scrolls," Steve said. "We've survived a couple traps, and now we have to stay on our toes."

The four arrived at another chasm, but none of them could see the bottom. For all they knew, it could plunge straight into the Void.

Sam gulped, and Mavis noticed he was pale. "Sam."

He twitched and ticked his head up. "Yeah, Mavis?"

She was smart enough to try to distract him with duty. "Look at those ropes over there on the other side. They're keeping the bridge up."

Sam nodded.

"You need to shoot them. They'll snap and the bridge will fall, and then we can cross without danger from the Void."

Sam aimed his bow, arrow serving as his sights. "Here goes." A dull twang resonated from the walls, and the arrow ripped through one of the ropes. The second rope ripped as well, the weight from the bridge being too much.

The bridge was made of simple planks, and slammed into the rock floor right in front of them. Mavis beamed at Sam, and Steve noted that the archer's morale seemed to rise.

"OK, then. We're getting closer to the scrolls, people." Steve led the way, Sam right behind. Solomon guarded the rear, and could see Mavis walk down the bridge. It shook with everyone's weight, but held up.

Solomon did a double take as he watched Mavis walk. She didn't have any sort of bounce with her step. _In fact, she seems creeper-esque, _he thought.

He felt deeply unsettled by this. Solomon decided to keep his eye on her.

Finally the four reached the other side. They walked down the corridor until they reached a staircase. They descended and kept going. Now, the walls seemed older and moss adorned it in some places.

Soon Steve held up his hand once more, and this time even Sam stopped in time. They split up into a more casual formation, and they could see why Steve stopped.

A fallen human skeleton was in front of them. A worn bow with a broken string lay on the ground nearby. The tattered quiver was on the ground, spilling its arrows out.

Sam looked down sadly at the fallen archer. "This doesn't exactly inspire confidence."

Steve clapped the live archer on the back. "No, but it might prove a warning." Sam nodded, eyes never leaving the skeleton's sockets.

Solomon poked Sam. "We could use all the ammo we can get. Grab those arrows and let's keep going."

Sam shook his head. He turned to Solomon. "Mind if I ask for a favor?" His voice was sturdy and clear; Solomon could see whatever he was about to ask would be serious.

"Sure."

"Can you set some sort of protective field around the body after I grab something?"

Solomon nodded. Sam studied the corpse, gently pulled off the quiver, and took out a diamond-tipped arrow.

Sam explained. "Every archer worth his bow has a Final Shot arrow. We make it ourselves, and it's a symbol of our vow and dedication to the way of archery. An archer only uses this special arrow once, if that. You're not allowed to make more than one, or you forsake the true way of the archer."

He continued. "It's tradition to take only this arrow from a fellow archer. OK, Solomon, you can protect the corpse now."

Solomon was happy to oblige. He opened his book, the symbols rose, and a clear blue field spread from above the skeleton's skull. It bloomed around the body, and the entire blue bubble glowed brightly before fading.

Solomon smiled genuinely at the rookie archer. "I think that should do it."

"Thanks." Sam still seemed somber. The three males went ahead. Mavis curiously poked at the corpse, but the bubble held true. She rushed along back to the group. She got to them, who were crouched behind a low wall.

Steve pulled her down, and sat her close to him. "Mobs," he whispered.

Solomon stood, and the creepers, skeletons, zombies, and spiders looked at him. They started to rush at him, but by then his book was fluttering. One skeleton shot an arrow towards him as the symbols glowed. The arrow flew through the air and would hit his face in less than a second.

The second never came. A bright flash enveloped the room, and ash fell to the ground right in front of his face. The other three peeked over, and there were piles of ash everywhere. Solomon stood calmly for a second, then burst out laughing.

"Did you see that arrow? If the magic had been even half a second longer, I'd be dead!" He kept laughing, with Steve puzzled as to the mage's morbid, twisted sense of humor.

The mage composed himself. "No? Alright, but admit the flash fire was pretty cool."

Mavis smiled at the mage's laughing, even if she didn't find anything of that caliber particularly funny. Her father, being a surgeon, had seen quite a few people die. Eventually two things happened.

First, she became immune to the typical shock that came with strong emotion. After all, a death would invoke shock, sadness, some anger, revulsion, and fear. She didn't feel much of that.

Second, she respected the dead a great deal. Every one of those corpses had had a family, friends, and a life that was cut short. So she wasn't the type for dark or morbid humor. In fact, thanks to her father's sheltered upbringing, she was very clean-minded.

Nonetheless, she was happy for happiness. The group continued, and a lone creeper stood in their path. Behind it glowed a large pool of lava.

Solomon stepped closer to the creeper, and his book fluttered open. All the lava collected itself into a fiery tendril, and lashed out at the creeper. It turned as it was hit, hissing in surprise. The creeper's internal gunpowder was vaporized, and there was nothing left of the creeper.

The lava evaporated in the air magically, letting the group pass. Solomon looked very drained, like that particular spell took a lot out of him.

Steve asked, "You OK, Solomon?"

The mage composed himself and nodded. "Just one of the higher spells."

The four trudged on, reaching yet another staircase. This one was longer, and as they went down a bit of conversation began.

Steve asked, "Sam? Where's your Final Shot arrow then?"

Mavis looked forward and noticed Sam deflate. His shoulders slumped, and his head drooped. "I used it."

At this point the team reached the bottom of the stairs. An iron door sat at the end of a long hallway. Steve held his hand up.

"Alright team. We've gotten through this entire mineshaft. Sam, check the map."

Sam got out the map. "According to this, right behind that door should be a chest. In that chest the scrolls lie."

Steve nodded. "In that case, everyone rest. We've made it." Everyone sat down. Steve directed his attention to Sam. "Sam, you said the Final Shot arrow can only be used once, and in dire cases. What happened?"

Sam sighed. "It's a long story."

"We have plenty of time."

Sam shook his head. "Let's grab the scrolls first. I can tell you guys later."

Steve sensed Sam wasn't quite ready to reveal what happened. He felt bad for pushing so far.

Steve nodded. "Sure. Alright, then. Let's grab those scrolls. I'm sure I'm not the only guy curious as to what those scrolls hold."

The four ran to the door. Solomon blasted the door down with a strong magic bolt. They scattered inside, and stared at the center of the room.

There lay a gilded chest. Steve walked over, gulped, and slowly opened the box. "It's here."

He gently unrolled the scroll. The team brushed up behind him to read what would be inside. Simultaneously, the heroes had puzzled expressions.

Steve stumbled. "I... What does... Solomon, you know this language?" He gestured to strange symbols, with a recurring eye symbol.

"Hmm... ah ha... I see...," the mage replied.

"So you know what it says?"

"Nope not at all. I think it must be the language of the Endermen."

"Fantastic!" Sam cried. "Now what are we supposed to do? This was supposed to be the war-winner! To us it's useless..." Sam slumped over.

The mage hummed. "I think I've heard of someone who might be able to read this. If anyone could, it'd be the Archmage. He's the most powerful being outside of the Wither and the gods."

Mavis curiously inquired, "So how do we find him?"

* * *

**How do they find him? Wait and see, people. Wait and see... Hopefully not too long, and for your convenience we'll try to make it shorter next time. That should reduce the update time, as well. **

**Zing only wanted me to say that he wanted more reviews. Humor him, won't you? Bye!**

**-Hunter**


	11. Sam's Story

**I don't own Minecraft. Notch does, along with his partners, Mojang, and affiliate companies.**

**So this update was quicker. Yet it's longer... Ah well. This mystery isn't one to be solved right now. For now, let's talk about FF. Reviews can help, and we want your help in detecting any errors. Or simply say what you liked; it's your choice. **

**We hope you like it.**

* * *

The cave started to shake violently. Bits and pieces of cobblestone were falling from the cave walls. The sound of wood and stone cracking was so loud it made Sam cringe.

"The mountain is collapsing!" yelled Steve. "Everyone out now!" He motioned his hand toward where the path they came from. The group dashed out of the room and up the stairs immediately.

As they were running, Sam was fumbling with the map, desperate to find the right way out before they were crushed.

"Uh, we need to run down this way until we make it to the bridge!" Sam said with a bit of uncertainty in his voice. It was enough for the group. They made it to the swaying bridge and Solomon nearly fell off as they ran across it. Steve turned around to see that just as they crossed it, a huge stalactite fell in the middle of the bridge and it plunged into the abyss. He looked ahead to see the traps that they avoided.

It wasn't long before the group went up another staircase. At this point, the mountain was quaking with enough force to cause a full grown man to stumble. Going up the staircase took every ounce of coordination from the band lest they fall and possibly never return.

As they got to the top they noticed many mobs awaken from all of the friction. Creepers and zombies populated the way ahead.

"Run past them!" Mavis yelled, and began maneuvering around the vicious mobs. They slashed and reached for her, hoping to cling on and impede her passage, but not even an Enderman could catch her now that her survival instincts were at their peak. The three men slowed down.

"I can't do that." Sam said sadly and got his bow out. He aimed it and fell in a trance when the mobs didn't move.

"You won't have to." Steve said with a smile. Sam didn't understand until all of the mobs slowly hit the floor with blood dripping out of their necks. He looked ahead to see Mavis insert the blade back in her nylon sleeve. He didn't ask questions and ran for his life.

They reached the fall that nearly killed Steve. Mavis jumped and barely reached the edge with her hands. As she pulled herself up, she stopped and waited for the other three. _I'm captain and I must ensure their safety, even it means I die along with them._

Steve judged the distance. "Solomon!"

The mage nodded and called upon the stones laying at the bottom to create a bridge. They ran across and he dropped it back into the dark expanse.

They could see the changes in the light as they neared the entrance. Sam heard the sound of waves crashing onto the shore. He turned around.

"Guys!" Sam screamed. They turned to see the rocks that made up the cave crumbling and falling on the floor behind them. If they stopped for a second, they would become one with the mountain.

"Don't worry, the entrance is up ahead!" Steve replied. His hope was shattered in an instant. The wood holding up the cave entrance along with some stones fell directly in between them and their salvation.

"I'll handle this." Steve said under his breath. He ran ahead in one mighty sprint and turned his shoulder toward the blockade a split-second before impact. The material that was blocking the way out along with bones were dislodged from their original position. Steve screamed in pain as he fell to the grassy floor outside. The group were not far behind and ran to safety just before the former holder and protector of the Ender Scrolls was converted into flat rubble.

Steve was laying on the ground wincing in pain and holding his arm. Mavis eyes grew slightly; she recognized the injury.

"You dislocated your shoulder." Mavis kneeled down beside him and touched his arm tenderly.

"You didn't break anything, so your bones are still in one piece." She said, then looked directly into his face as she grabbed his arm.

"Relax, just look at me." Steve looked up. His pain subsided for an instant and he relaxed. This was all Mavis needed. She tugged at his arm in one precise sweep and a loud crack was heard. Steve screamed in pain once more.

"Sorry, but I put your arm back in your socket." Mavis said. Steve winced but looked at his arm; he could move it again.

"What the Nether..." Steve didn't believe it. Sam and Solomon's jaws dropped. She noticed.

"My dad's lectures on human anatomy sure work wonders in the field." She explained.

Solomon thought it over. "How much does this man get paid exactly?" He joked. They all chuckled and laughed as they enjoyed how good it felt to cheat death.

"So as I was saying." Mavis began, "How do we find this Archmage?"

"Well, it won't be easy. I heard he lives on top of the highest mountain in the East." Solomon answered. Sam face became blank.

"Why do we keep having to go so far away?" Sam complained. "Can't something be a mile or two away from where we are? I mean, we'd have to go to the complete opposite side of the fort to get there, and we're already like thirty miles West of the Notch-forsaken castle." Sam felt the fatigue in his muscles and just wanted to go back to the sanctuary and sleep for a week.

"Sam, remember why we are doing this." Steve said and patted his back. "You'll pull through." Sam groaned.

"Fine." He replied bluntly.

"So, Sam. Considering you're so tired, let's all set up camp here. It's your turn to tell a campfire stories," Steve joked.

Mavis nodded. "We need our rest." The group began to clear away the perimeter.

"Solomon, mind placing a bubble around us?" Steve asked. Solomon's book floated, symbols glowed, and a blue dome encased them before turning invisible.

Solomon conjured a fire from the branches they gathered. Steve sat, and the others followed suit.

Sam laid by the fire, looking up at the stars. Steve watched him for a bit then asked. "Sam, do you think you're ready to tell us what happened with your Final Shot arrow?"

Sam's expression was one of loss. "Alright, I think I'm ready."

Mavis watched Sam intently, waiting for his story. "Go on, Sam."

Sam inhaled, then began.

"I loved only one girl. She was my life, the light that guided me. I knew she loved me back with all her heart, and we were never happier than when we were together. She was adventurous, and loved to go explore caves and mineshafts. I joined her, even though I wasn't such a fan of going down there"

He continued, but his eyes seemed to weaken and dull, sadness taking over. "The day I used my special arrow, we were in an abandoned mineshaft. It was nothing new. I had my quiver and bow with me. She went ahead, planning to place a torch to light up our way. She placed it down and turned to me, smiling. The light revealed a zombie horde, and one was far too close to her. It grabbed her."

Sam's eyes flashed angrily. "I had my bow ready in an instant. But I hesitated to fire, because I didn't want to hit her. I fired but missed in my foolish worries and the zombie plunged its teeth into her neck. My failure and her screams of pain alerted the other zombies. They were farther away, and I rushed up to the zombie and stabbed an arrow in its eye. It died, letting my love go."

"I picked her up and carried her in my arms towards the exit. But we'd gone so deep that by the time we got there, I was exhausted and the zombies were only seconds behind. I placed her by the exit stairs, and aimed my bow."

"My Final Shot arrow was tipped with TNT. I fired it at the center of a support structure, bringing it down and keeping the zombies away. But it was far too late." Sam's eyes had angry tears.

"She was bleeding so badly, and I cradled her head. The virus was whispering to her, coaxing her to turn. She fought it back so she could talk to me for one last time. Her lips parted weakly and she told me she loved me. I wanted to put my lips to hers and embrace death with her and shamble around the world by her side, even as a mindless beast. But she waved me away. She wanted me to survive and to live on for her. I sat there for hours, watching the warmth and life seep out of her face until she grew still." The group thought they heard enough when Sam continued.

"That wasn't the worst part." Sam's sorrow was vaguely present in his voice. "The worst was when she came back as one of them and tried to draw blood from my neck."

"I had to... I..." Sam motioned his hands in front of him and they stopped like they felt a surface. Mavis recognized the placement of his hands on the invisible head and knew what came next. She knew the sorrow he felt was the greatest in all of the universe. She quickly embraced him.

"You don't need to dwell over that anymore. You did what you had to do and she wants you to live on." Mavis had seen the corner of a small portrait tucked inside of Sam's leather pocket since their first meeting back at the well. Now she knew what it was, and pulled it out of its holder to show to Sam.

"This is your motivation to keep fighting. To keep on surviving and defending what matters most in life. And when you feel hopeless, know this," She handed him the expertly painted picture of his love, "You will meet her again one day." She finished. Sam face slowly brightened up. He wiped away his bitter tears and looked at the stars.

"Thanks, Mavis." Sam wiped his eyes one last time.

Steve clapped Sam on the back. "She's right. If we don't beat the Wither, that pain you felt and feel so badly about will extend to families everywhere. Sam, you know she wouldn't want that. So we'll pass the Landing tomorrow. For now, everyone sleep."

Sam nodded, his red eyes closing as he rested. Solomon read from his book until sleep overtook him, and Steve snored lightly. Mavis watched her team sleep, her eyes resting on each individual.

Steve snorted and mumbled something about pigs. _He's this team's leader, really. I can feel his fear and hesitation, that he's not making the right choices for the team. I'm sure he's scared of one big mistake that might cost us our lives. He needs to know we're here for him and we can fix his mistakes. We can try, at least. He's not alone. I feel the same way sometimes._

Sam twisted and turned, and his face was still flushed. _Poor Sam. He's lost so much. I hope he knows he can turn to us for help, and that he's not alone either._

Solomon's chest rose and fell as he slept. _I don't think he fully trusts us yet. Maybe he never will. This team really needs to be closer..._

Mavis closed her eyes, ready to fight at the snap of a twig as she regained her energy. The moon shone down on the brave and tragic heroes and their strife and toils.

A skeleton looked over at the vulnerable group. It saw that the one dressed in black was sitting up and may be easier to fire at. It took aim and let loose.

Mavis's eyes opened in a flash as she heard the bow and her hand went to her face and closed around an arrow that wasn't there. She blinked and remembered the bubble around the group. The arrow had fallen short a couple of feet away, deflected by the shield.

The skeleton was furious and ran for the shield. It was thrown back by the dome.

Mavis didn't take her mind's eye off of the skeleton. She saw its position, turned, and closed her eyes. She could track its whereabouts when she heard where the footsteps were coming from.

_Don't worry. The sun will be here to take care of you soon._

* * *

The three men were awoken by the sound of a mob sizzling in the sun.

"Our interloper tried to get the jump on us." Mavis said.

"Well, I guess my shield proved to be pretty useful then, huh?" He waved his hand in the air and the bubble rippled and dissipated.

Sam reached into his pockets and produced some food. The three men were famished and ate the last remaining bits of the food that was supposed to last them a week or two. Solomon cooked a chicken in his hands and Mavis bit pieces of flesh off of the chicken's leg sparingly. They drank water to finish their breakfast and Mavis stood up first to start walking east. The rest followed and as usual, the way back was a bit quicker.

They were already passed Solomon's home and the fallen mob camp that still smelled of burned flesh. As they made their way back into the desert, the three males were sweating countless droplets onto the terrain that evaporated upon contact with the scorching sand. Solomon wasn't with them when they first crossed the desert and looked over at Mavis.

_The foolish girl is shrouded in black clothing, she must be sweating a river of- what the..._

Not a drop of sweat emerged from her pores.

"That seems unhealthy." Said Solomon.

"If my biological well-being becomes faulty in anyway, my dad will find out. Not even the microbes on the ground are able to persecute me when my father is around. I do appreciate his efforts to keep me safe no matter how tedious it can be to have a check up every week." Mavis said with a smile. The overly bright sun made her teeth glint and Solomon could see her canines. He turned away quickly.

_That is enough freakiness for one day. _

Before long they cleared the desert and were headed toward the forest. The ravine came into view and its mystique was now somewhat gone since the light fully invaded the depths of the enormous crack in the earth.

Now the trip home was coming to a slow halt. The Landing's highest points could just be seen beyond the trees.

"About five miles straight ahead and we should be... starting our way to the Archmage..." Sam said sadly. Technically, they made negative progress toward this great sorcerer.

The group walked on. Mavis looked into the woods and felt surprised to see a lone Enderman. She continued to stare at it and the tall figure rotated to see its privacy invaded. He was only moving around some blocks; why do these people have to get in the way of his business? He unhinged his jaw in a threat, but Mavis persisted still.

Suddenly it burst into a cloud of purple ashes. The group stopped. Mavis looked ahead to the trail and saw the Enderman running at them with full speed. Steve unsheathed his sword, Sam docked an arrow into his bow, and Solomon raised his tome. Steve looked over at Mavis, her face was indifferent.

The Enderman ran until he came to a near screeching stop. He looked ahead with his wide eyes streaked with purple. He looked right at Mavis and tilted his head as he came closer slowly. The men raised their weapons.

"Stay back!" Sam yelled, aiming his bow directly at the Enderman. It wouldn't hit him, but at least it would cause a temporary retreat.

"Please stand down men." Mavis said calmly. Steve looked at Mavis baffled. He shrugged internally and reluctantly placed his sword back in its home. The others unarmed themselves as well.

The Enderman thought with its simple mind. _What witchcraft is this? I... I was going to kill you. _

He made a move forward, but when he saw that the being did not move, he stood down and kneeled so his head was level with her's.

_What is going on? She is... captivating me. Is she one of us? Why can't I strike her? This must be an illusion, or-_

His troubles and confusion were gone in a moment. Mavis's eyes sparkled and flashed, or did he imagine that? He began to question what was real when he was soothed once more.

Mavis raised her hand and stroked the side of the Enderman's face gently.

The Enderman shut his eyes tightly. He expected a forceful blow and extreme hurting to follow. But when he opened his eyes again, he felt no pain.

_I have never known a loving touch. Is this what it is to have a friend? It's... enchanting._

He looked at the figure in front of him. His eyes glew slightly and he vanished.

Mavis smiled. She continued onward.

Solomon started flipping through his pages vigorously, looking for some kind of explanation.

_Mind control... conjurence... pacifying... Enderman taming... ten years of intense meditation for just this spell?! That's five times more than how long it took me to levitate! And after that you can only control one for one brief action... How did she do that? _He looked ahead to see Mavis wave them on.

"Are you guys coming?" She said bluntly.

_Ok, maybe there is no limit to how freaky one day can get... _Solomon thought.

The group ran ahead. Steve began to speak.

"What was that back there?" He said in amazement.

"Hmm? Oh, I have a connection with them. They don't lay a finger on me. I still haven't figured out why though..." She looked up like she was reasoning out an answer in her mind. She knew she wouldn't find one.

Steve's head hurt. The dream flashed past his mind. He groaned weakly and rubbed his head.

"You alright?" She asked.

"Yeah... just a little headache." Steve replied.

Mavis nodded and they kept going. Finally, the drawbridge was in plain view. A guard aimed an arrow at the group, but quickly fumbled the weapons away. "It's Captain Mavis! Lower the bridge!"

Swiftly, the drawbridge was lowered and ten guards ran out, surrounding the group in a protective circle. They quickly saluted her and looked out for mobs.

Solomon grinned cockily as one guard eyed him. "What? You think I'll try something with her?"

The guard glared and focused on his duty. Solomon smirked and kept with the group. As soon as the four adventurers were secure inside the Landing, the guards lifted the drawbridge.

One came up to Mavis. "Captain, the perimeter is secured. Shall I summon an escort for you to your chamber?"

Mavis shook her head. "Thanks anyway, though. Can you please get General Green here? Tell him it's from Mavis, Sam, and Steve." The guard rushed off.

Solomon humphed, but Steve could easily tell it was for show. The mage didn't mind. Soon, Kenny came up to them.

He smiled at his friends. "Hey guys- who's _he_?" Kenny pointed at Solomon. The mage smirked.

"Don't you know it's rude to point?" Steve stepped in at this point, before Solomon's remarks caused a blaze.

"Kenny, this is Solomon. On our mission to retrieve the scrolls, we were ambushed by skeletons. They've gotten smarter, and actually made turrets of sorts. Anyways, we barely made it and met this guy. He's a mage."

Solomon bowed and snapped his fingers, magical sparks dancing around the contact. Kenny narrowed his eyes. "Is he trustworthy?"

Steve nodded. Sam nodded. Kenny looked at Mavis. "Do you trust him?"

Mavis beamed. "I do." Kenny nodded.

"Alright then. Did you guys get the scrolls?"

Steve nodded and handed the scrolls to Kenny. The general opened them and a puzzled expression grew on his face. "What the...?"

Steve's face turned sympathetic. "We said the same thing, more or less."

"Then what's up with these scrolls? You said these could turn the tides of battle!" Kenny handed back the scrolls.

"I know. Solomon helped us out with that; he's leading us to someone who might be able to decipher these symbols. Actually, thanks to that, we can't stay long. We've got a couple dozen more miles to go. We came to report back."

Kenny nodded. "Well, relax for a while now that you're here. I know you said you don't have much time, but I've sent scouts out to check the battles. For some reason, the mobs have stopped attacking as much. So stay for just a bit."

Another guard came over. "Captain Mavis, one of the medics requests your presence now that you're here."

Mavis nodded. "OK, tell him I'll be right over."

The guard walked off to convey the message. Mavis turned to the group. "If you guys don't mind, I have to be somewhere. I'll be back really quick, hopefully."

Steve shook his head. "We'll come with you. Kenny, you mind?"

The general replied, "Not at all. This is what I wanted. But Solomon, mind staying for just a bit? You guys go on ahead."

The other warriors headed towards the medbay. Kenny pulled the mage closer. "Listen to me very carefully. If you do anything to harm my soldiers I will _personally_ tear your head off, charmcaster. You got me?"

Solomon blinked. "Loud and clear."

Kenny waved him off.

* * *

The air reeked of antiseptic. A tall man in full scrubs stood over a body. Mavis stood next to him.

The man spoke. "See, right there? He's got gunpowder dust in his lungs. Nothing major, no sickness." The medic said with an accent that didn't sound like anything Steve has ever heard.

The surgeon gently plucked out every piece, leaving no trace or mark on the affected area. He sowed the patient back up and went outside while the nurses worked on stabilizing and monitoring the patient's vital signs.

"So, doctor." Mavis said with a lilt in her voice. "Why did you ring?"

Steve and Sam watched the pair, unaware of Solomon coming up behind them. That is, until he spoke, startling them both. "Hey guys! What'd I miss?"

The two field medics away from the three males chuckled at their reactions. Steve jumped back and drew his sword. Sam jumped straight up and ran behind Steve. Solomon just laughed.

"So, Captain," the surgeon asked Mavis, "are those the three?"

Mavis nodded. "They're good guys, even if they could stand taking their jobs a bit more seriously."

The surgeon removed his glove and ruffled Mavis's hair, but it eventually went back to its standard bob (with three spikes arched down her crown). "I think that's just you. Now, I wish you good luck in the near future. Keep them healthy, or at least alive. Now if you would accompany me, I have to attend to another patient. He is one of the first with this injury and I'd like you to see the minor operation."

"Sounds interesting." Mavis said.

"Oh, that's not all." The medic continued,"You might find it surprising that he is none other than Benjamin Hindenguard."

Steve and Sam were flabbergasted. This was Ivan's son that the fallen warrior mentioned on the way to the map of the Ender Scrolls. Steve quickly explained to the other two about the grim occurrences that afflicted Ivan.

"Death and despair at every corner. Don't worry Ben, I'll try to make it as painless as possible." Mavis said as she prepared to enter the room.

_We aren't killing him... _Steve thought, _Are we?_

* * *

**So are they? Will they? *shrug* So I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and we're working on Chapter 11. **

**Zing A/N: I want more reviews.**

**He always does. Well, we'll see if we can make the chapters shorter, but I don't know if we can. Until next time, this was Hunter.**


	12. A New Friend

**We don't own Minecraft. That'd be Notch, his partners, Mojang, and affiliate companies.**

**So here you go: Chapter 12. We hope you enjoy yourself.**

* * *

Before the four went into the room housing the injured Benjamin, Steve took the time to become fully acquainted with this medic.

"Hello," Steve began as he held out his hand, "I am Steve and this is Sam and Solomon." He waved to his squad who waved back.

The medic took Steve's hand and shook it. "I am Dr. Acula, and it's a pleasure to meet you, Steve. I heard a lot about your skill on the field."

He turned to Sam. "I've heard of you as well, young scout. Although let's hope you get a promotion, both of you. Then you can command your very own centurion."

Steve relished the thought of him surrounded by soldiers willing to give their life for him at the drop of a hat.

The medic talked with Solomon. "You're new, though. Who are you, exactly? Solomon, was it?"

The mage nodded. "I'm a mage. I use this magic tome to harness my power and release it through spells."

"Do you have any healing spells, out of curiosity?" The medic asked. Solomon flipped through the pages.

"Several. Some are more dangerous than others though, but those are usually the most powerful."

"Well, I'm glad to hear we have another potential medic on our side. Although I do prefer traditional methods when we have the time to do so."

"Of course." Solomon replied.

"Alright then. Let's go tend to our patient."

* * *

He opened the door slowly and a young man only about the age of sixteen was seen on a medical cot. He was visibly hurt but didn't show many signs of his pain save for some occasional cringes. He had an arrow embedded in his thigh. There was some space around the arrow so some flesh was exposed as though someone frantically tried to pull it out. Seeing the splinters in his open muscle nearly made Sam gag.

"Well," began Mavis who looked unphased by the gore of Ben's wound, "You are indeed a lucky case. I have never seen one like this."

"What do you mean?" Asked Ben. _How am I lucky? Can't you see I am badly injured you-_

"The arrow just missed your femoral artery. If that would have been punctured you would have bled out and died within a couple of minutes." Mavis said gladly. "Thank Notch you made it out alive."

Ben gulped.

"Well done, Mavis." The doctor said,"Nice diagnosis. Benjamin, I have some bad news for you." Dr. Acula looked at his eyes. Mavis knew what had happened and knew what will follow wasn't going to be pretty. "Your body has healed partially and trapped the arrow fragments within. We will have to reopen the wound to get them out. I will give you the best sedation we have, but resources are low and you will still feel intense pain."

Ben's eyes grew slightly. He nodded.

"Alright," the doctor went over to his table and started to mix many herbs and mushrooms into some bottles. He placed them over a fire and after they melted he poured them in another concoction. The formula was complete and he sucked it out with a needle. He tested the syringe and went back to the group.

"This should ease the pain a bit." the doctor said as he tied a small rope around Ben's upper thigh, washed off the area where the needle will be injected in, and gently sent it into Ben's leg near the afflicted area.

"Now please lay back so I can strap you in so you won't thrash around and ruin the surgery. If this procedure isn't completed correctly the first time we will have to do it again." Dr. Acula said grimly.

Ben reluctantly lay down and the doctor bounded him to the medical cot he lay on.

"Ok, I am going to talk you through this so you know what is happening. I will begin with cutting off the arrow's tip so I can remove the rest of it." A snap was heard as he perfectly cut off the flint. "Now I will remove the remains of the arrow."

Ben didn't feel much pain.

"Now, using a scalpel I will cut holes in the scabs just big enough for me to fit tweezers into them so that I may remove the fragmentations. This will hurt."

As he began, Ben winced. He began to scream. The group thought they have seen enough. Mavis intervened.

"Relax, just look at me." Steve remembered the words. He doubt it would do much good to someone going through surgery. But then again, a lot of insane things happened that day.

Ben opened his tightly shut eyes and looked up. He wasn't able to see her very well when she entered the room, but under the surgery lamp all of her features were defined. Her slightly puffed, rosey cheeks. Her huge blue eyes and lashes. Her darkly painted lips and glistening hair. He thought he was looking at a fallen angel, if Notch issued all black uniforms.

_Why is she dressed from head to toe in black? Wait a second, those shoes are red, and so are those stripes on her leggings. She is the greatest beauty my eyes have ever beheld, yet she only reveals her face and hands. Wait a minute, that doctor called her captain outside. Is this who I keep hearing about? How is-_

"And now I will carefully pluck out the remaining splinters and fragments from your leg." Dr. Acula concluded. Not a word came out of Ben's mouth during nearly the entire operation.

"What?" asked Ben, who forgot all about the medical procedure. The group laughed.

The doctor washed off the wound with water, stitched him up, and placed a bandage over the wound.

"Stay safe, I hope I won't have to see you again unless you're just dropping by." Dr. Acula finished. He waved them off and they exited. Ben stayed so he could heal.

"He seems pretty cool." Solomon said.

"He's an old surgeon, but he is still very good at what he does." Mavis said.

"I'm not that old!" The medic cried, half in indignity and half in humor.

"Sure, doctor. Sure. I've known you all my life." Mavis cried back.

"You're still rather young," Solomon quipped.

The group exited the medbay, and were heading to the drawbridge before Kenny caught up with them. He seemed happy as his eyes flowed over them, until he reached Solomon. The general scowled then put up a happy facade.

"You guys have had a long journey, and the sun will set soon. Stay the night. That's an order."

"So, what did the medic need?" He asked. _That medic should have tranquilized this dangerous mage._ Internally he shook his head; his troops, smart as they were, would not be tricked so easily.

_If they trust him, I suppose he's alright._ He genuinely smiled at Solomon. The mage, however, did not take it as real.

Before the mage could interject with a sharp remark, Mavis replied. "He just wanted us to see Ben. You know, Ivan's son. Steve just recently told me what happened."

Kenny's smile took a more tragic tone. To the three non-magical warriors, it seemed warm and understanding regarding Ben. To Solomon, it seemed as fake as the amnesty between him and this general.

"Ivan was truly one of my bravest men. He was a huge loss to this army, to his family, and to his friends."

Solomon scowled. "As if he was anything more than a soldier, a pawn, to you."

Kenny's face twisted into anger. "How dare-!"

But the mage continued, unaffected by Kenny's attempted response. "I don't think even _we_ matter to you. After all, they're just three of your soldiers and I'm a mercenary. So really, how can you care about us when hundreds of other soldiers require your advice, guidance, and orders?"

Kenny was livid. He jumped on Solomon, and they rolled on the ground. Kenny was on top, and punched Solomon in the mouth.

Solomon tasted something metallic. He growled and threw the general off. His eyes glowed with furious magic, and his book fluttered open. Symbols glowed, and a red bolt shot for the general, who was realizing his unprofessional outburst.

An explosion rang through everyone's ears, but Kenny looked at himself. Other than dust and a couple of bruises, he was untouched.

Steve stood in front of the general, pain evident in his expression. He fell to his knees, gasping from the air being driven out of his lungs and the pain Solomon's magic gave him.

Solomon's eyes stopped glowing, and he paled. He quickly levitated his book and symbols glowed.

Steve felt bliss for half a second, and it was truly wonderful after the pain of a magic bolt. Then he felt normal. He rose with shaky knees, but stood.

Sam was holding Solomon back, in case he fired off again. Mavis was keeping Kenny from reigniting the fight.

"I'm so sorry, Steve. You know it wasn't meant for you." Solomon seemed remorseful, but not a tinge of regret dotted his face from fighting back against the general.

"I'm sorry, as well. To both of you." Kenny stood, once Mavis let him. He reached a hand out for Solomon to shake it.

The mage glared at Kenny, and smacked the hand away. Steve felt normal again, and as leader he made a decision.

"With your permission, I'll be taking my squad out of the castle. We can't risk losing time. Or another skirmish."

Kenny nodded. "I understand, and allow this."

The four walked out from the castle without another word. Solomon threw back one last glare.

* * *

As soon as the group went across the bridge, went around to the back side of the fort, was far away enough and well on track towards the Archmage, Steve exploded.

"What the Nether, Solomon? Why'd you go and say that to Kenny?"

Solomon defended himself. "In case you didn't notice, I'm the one who bled."

"Yeah, and I'm the one who got hit with a magic blast!"

"I said I was sorry."

Steve looked ready to bite Solomon's head off. Mavis stepped in, her figure outlined and emphasized by the moon. "Everyone get some sleep, and we can sort this out tomorrow with clearer and calmer heads."

"Fine." Steve barked. Sam looked around for mobs, then slept. Mavis pondered for a bit about all that happened so quickly, then rested against a tree.

"Aren't you going to sleep?" Asked Steve.

"I didn't do much today. I think I'll keep watch while you guys sleep." She said as she leaned against the tree.

_I've seen her in action, and how she came to my aid in the fight against their insane leader. There won't be need of a shield tonight. I'd hate to be an approaching mob when she's around. _Thought Solomon while he laid his head against a sloped rock.

The group let sleep overtake them and Mavis kept a watchful eye on them. She looked around for any intruders. There weren't any for a few hours.

She unsheathed her hidden blade from her sleeve and examined the sharpness. It was looking a little dull from over usage. She picked up a rock and started to grind off the blunt edges of the weapon. She did this for an hour or so. She liked repetitive actions because they gave her some time to think.

When she was finished she plucked out a blade of grass from the ground and dropped it on the blade. It split into two. She slipped the blade back in her nylon sleeve and began to sharpen the other one.

The night went by longer than usual. It was as if the moon was holding off its brighter counterpart to slow down the travelers' progress.

Mavis was still against the tree when she heard growling. She turned to see red eyes in the brush near the group, eyeing the strength of its potential supper.

Mavis dashed in between the enemy and her squad. The animal came out of the bushes slowly. Mavis recognized it as an adult wolf. It growled.

_Stay out of my way so I can eat these vulnerable morsels... _It seemed to say as it licked every one of his razor sharp teeth. It snarled. _I am not friendly..._

Mavis hissed back, revealing her fangs as to say, _Neither am I. _

The dog stopped and its hairs stood on end. Then it calmed down a bit. Mavis reached for a raw steak Sam accidentally packed while Ben was going through surgery. Sam didn't want to see Ben suffer anymore and got supplies before they left.

She felt the steak in the dark and returned her direct attention to the wolf. She trustingly held out her hand with the raw steak. _You won't bite the hand that feeds you..._

She was correct. The wolf came closer cautiously and sniffed the food. It gratefully accepted the offering and ate it in nearly one bite.

"You were hungry, weren't you?" She said. The dog wagged its tail and panted.

They sat in the moonlight next to the sleeping team. The wolf got used to his new friends as Mavis gently petted its fur coat.

The sun prevailed and rose, starting a fire in the sky that lit the way for the band of heroes. The group slowly began to wake up and Steve was startled to see a wolf in their presence.

"I thought you could be his primary owner." Mavis said with a smile. "I'll have to warn you though, he looked at you like you were a meal just a couple of hours ago."

"Pleasant." Steve replied. "Everything is trying to kill us. Average day in the life of our group."

"Where did my steak go...?" Asked Sam. The wolf barked and Sam looked at it with a dim stare. The group laughed.

"Well, come along, erm... wolf..." Steve said, "What should we name him?" They pondered for a bit.

"Porky."

"Wolfie."

"Shadow."

"Cannon fodder."

The group turned to Solomon angrily.

"What?" Solomon's group members shook their heads and smiled at the mage's interesting sense of humor. They ate a quick breakfast, and stood up.

"Well, we have to name him some time." Said Steve.

"Maybe later. We should continue our journey." Suggested Mavis. "By the sound of it, this mage isn't easy to reach. Where to, Solomon?"

He closed his eyes. "I can sense his power straight ahead... about eight miles away."

"So, it's that mountain over there?" Asked Sam.

"Yup."

"Well that's fantastic. Let's go." Sam said sadly. The mountain was colossal and steep. The band started their trek to the mountain. They found themselves out of the forest and inside of a swampy area in an hour or so.

They spotted a hut positioned over a boggy pool of green water.

"Stop." Said Solomon. "I'll handle this."

* * *

**Really, credit for this chapter goes to Zing. He wrote most of this chapter, if not all. I've been a bad partner lately, and feeling lazy and carefree as the summer draws near.**

**So I'll be a good boy, and try to write more. Really though. He deserves a lot more credit.**

**He created Mavis. He and I bounce ideas back and forth, so he's useful for that. So much more credit should go to him. All he ever wants are reviews.**

**Hope you tune in for the next chapter.**


	13. Potions, Pig, and Punches

**We don't own Minecraft. That is Notch, his partners, Mojang, and affiliate companies.**

**Alright, so this is, again, a mixture of Zing's writing and my own. We have a lot planned for this fic, so we hope you like what we've shown you so far. **

* * *

Solomon slowly approached the mysterious building. No one in the squad has seen anything like it. Some fumes blossomed into the air next to the window of the hut. Solomon was visibly uneasy for he knew of the powers witch's posses.

"Hello?" he called. "Is there anyone in there? I just want to talk." There was no response. Suddenly a glowing bottle shot out of the doorway headed for Solomon's face.

Solomon held out his hand and it stopped in mid air. He kept it there.

A pale face looked out from behind the doorway of the hut. It noticed a fellow sorcerer with its green eyes and came out cautiously.

The woman was wearing a crude hat and clothes. She looked over at Solomon but said nothing.

"Hey there," started Solomon,"We don't want any trouble, so please excuse us as we pass by."

He dropped the potion into the water near his friends. The vial burst when it touched the bottom of the swamp and sent murky water into the air. When it cleared, the witch could see the rest of the group. She frowned.

"They're alright," the mage said to the angered witch. He could see she wasn't listening and may not even be understanding anything he said to her at all.

"Oh, I see now." Solomon raised his tome and symbols floated into the air. Not ordinary ones; these came in greater numbers and stayed above the book. In a flash they flew into the witch's eyes and she looked around at battles and mobs that weren't there. She witnessed the story of this pack of heroes and saw their pure intentions.

With a smile, she motion her hands toward her humble home as to invite them in. The quartet made their way inside of the hut and stood around the witch as she brewed something in her cauldron. She produced a mug full of a putrid, light brown mixture and offered it to Steve.

"No thanks..." Steve said as waved his hands left and right.

Mavis looked at Steve like he scorned a blessing and then at the witch. "Can I have it?" She asked. The witch nodded and happily handed her the brewed vile substance.

Mavis was about to put the mug to her lips and drink when she noticed stunned faces around the room. Sam looked like he was going to spew his breakfast onto a witch's furniture.

"What? My dad makes this for me sometimes. It's a simple mixture of herbs, vegetables, and nutrients. This drink restores energy and strengthens the immune system. Plus, it's good for the skin too." She said and drank the mixture.

The three men internally reached for the drink screaming _No I want it! _as they instantly recalled Mavis's lush skin. However, they did not want to look desperate for some better looks. They watched in agony as she drank every last drop of the miraculous brown liquid.

"Is it too late to ask for some?" Solomon asked sarcastically. The hut overflowed with chuckles. They desired its power but didn't want to drink the revolting sludge, so they didn't request another one.

The group was about to leave when Mavis thought of an idea.

"Hey Solomon, can you ask her for the most toxic poison she has? Just a small amount. I would imagine the ingredients required are rare and I'd hate to impose." Mavis asked.

"Sure thing, captain crazy." He said under his breath. He went over to the witch and showed her some symbols off of his book. She read them and went over to the cauldron.

The witch motioned for Solomon to come closer. She grabbed a bottle, and filled it with water from her cauldron. Then she placed it in her brewing stand, and added a clump of nether wart into the bottle.

She waited as it simmered, and suddenly reached for the bottle. The witch shook it, checking its viscosity. She placed it back, satisfied. Then she stuffed in a spider eye, and let it boil.

Soon the bottle turned green, and Solomon reached for it. The witch smacked his hand, and sprinkled some glowstone into the mix. It bubbled for a while, then the witch gave Solomon the bottle.

"Is this the extreme poison potion?" The mage asked. The witch nodded. Solomon thanked her and walked to Mavis.

"Here. Be careful, considering it must be very deadly." Mavis smiled as Solomon handed her the potion. Outside, the wolf whined. The group decided to depart from the hut. They climbed down from its balcony and waved to the witch.

"Goodbye!" Sam yelled as they went on their way to the tallest mountain in the land. They were nearly there now.

The witch waved back. As the group turned around to see the witch a final time, a creeper walked out from the shadows and dashed for the five entities. The witch jumped and motion for them to turn around frantically.

Mavis turned and faced her aggressor, but saw that the wolf was fighting the mob back. It snarled and barked. The creeper gradually made its way to the group.

The wolf had no choice. It lunged for the enemy threatening his friends and sank its teeth into its neck. The creeper looked down and began to hiss.

"No!" screamed Mavis as the creeper erupted. The wolf was blown into a tree and the impact shattered many of its bones.

The wolf tried to get up feebly but collapsed. Mavis ran to it in an instant followed by the others. She kneeled next to the wolf and saw that it was bleeding internally. Blood was pooling under the canine's skin, and the sight of such gore was sickening.

"I don't have the tools I need to save its life." Mavis said and looked up at the group. She looked as though she was going to burst into tears. No one has seen their captain like this before. Solomon looked down at the grim sight and sighed. He lifted his tomb and held out his hand.

"This is going to hurt..." His arm glew and tiny strings of light went from it to the wolf. As the thread-like light touched the wolf, Solomon groaned in pain. His arm was flaking and shrinking ever so slightly. The wolf opened its eyes and stood. The group gasped.

Solomon ended the stream and the three others beheld his arm. It was covered in blisters and a small amount of white smoke floated around his arm.

"I restored him... He will be fine..." He said fighting through the pang that raced up and down his arm. "Now I really think he should be released. He should go look for others but defending us is putting him at risk."

He lifted some symbols from his tome and they flew into the wolf's eyes. It went over to Solomon and went its own way into the and out of the swamp.

Everyone was a bit sad because of their pet's departure. Then they looked to Solomon.

"How did you do that?" Sam asked. Solomon looked down at his partially deceased arm.

"I just gave him some of my spare flesh to patch up his organs and some cartilage to fix his bones back together. I can regenerate it, but it will take some time. It's a method of healing we use called Kantosis. But healing that requires more material than the human arm is forbidden."

"Thank you Solomon." Said Mavis. "That was my fault and I should have payed the price. Is there a spell that does the reverse effect?" She asked as she held out her own arm.

"There is, but I am not going to do it. Don't sweat it. It only stings, I'll be fine by tomorrow," replied Solomon. She put her hand down.

The four didn't feel very good about having their mistakes corrected through Solomon's pain, but it didn't hurt him as much as they thought. He had to ease the tension.

"Come guys, get a move on. The Archmage is this way and we'll never get here if you guys keep stopping to smell the flowers." He walked east. The group followed.

* * *

After their transition out of the swamp, they made it to some plains and the beginning of the mountain was seen a mile away. Sam eyed the rock.

"That thing is huge." He said.

"It won't look so big when we look down from the top of it." Steve said.

They walked across the plains and Steve saw a pig. He smiled and stared at it. The pig has sloped shoulder and was slightly drooping. Steve looked at its eyes. They were lifeless. The pig's eyes weren't his but those of another.

_No! They have nearly made it to the Giver of Wisdom! I must stop them. Children of the darkness, attack or forever be banished to the Deadlands! _

Steve tilted his head and looked at the mysterious pig as it looked at him with a dead stare. Suddenly, the ground began to shake violently as a portal to the depths of the Nether materialized just underneath the surface if the ground.

"What's happening!?" screamed Sam.

The ground tore open to reveal half a centurion of Wither skeletons and even some creatures that floated with glowing rods spinning around it. It was releasing smoke everywhere it moved. There were about four of those in the battle field.

When the four humans thought that was enough, a gargantuan white mass that resembled a squid emerged from the portal. It made inhuman groans and cries yet its mouth and eyes remained closed as if it has grown used to a world it didn't wish to look at.

In a flash it opened its eyes and mouth, then launched a fireball directly at Sam. It was bigger than his entire body and he had seen nothing like this kind of power. He stared at the fire nearing him but did not dare move. He was dreaming, this was a nightmare, he was on the brink of fainting, and they were all going to die. The fireball was getting so close he could feel its warmth. He closed his eyes.

He opened them. He looked at where he had been standing. A crater was all that remained.

_I am a ghost. _

The thought was immediately snapped out of his mind when he saw Mavis pull him to his feet. She was on the floor before she stood, like she fell with Sam. Or saved him.

"Don't lose your head Sam! Remember who you loved! Fight!" She screamed. Sam was still in a trance.

"If you can't fight for yourself, than fight for her!" That last word zinged through his mind. _Maria. _He got up and looked at the demon with rage on his face.

_I may be a weakling, _he thought as he nocked an arrow in his bow, _but I have a motive! I will not relent! I will fight even if I have to strangle every family-threatening mob with my Notchdamn hands!_

He pulled back the string and did a move with his fingers. There was not one but three arrows in the bow. He fired and hit the demon's body with every arrow. As it made its gut-wrenching cry he dashed for the beast. He jumped and shot a barrage of arrows in midair. The demon cried and fell back to where it came from. He quickly began dismembering more Nether creatures.

Steve's face was twisted with fury. _How dare you use a pig to do your evil bidding?! I swear on my life I will make your final moments in the Nether agonizing, you vile, disgusting animal! _

He ran for the skeletal warriors. He jumped and crashed into their ranks with the force of seven men. He began to black out... His other side was taking over. He saw nothing.

Mavis dashed for the blazing elemental. It launched a stick made of fire as it groaned metallically. She sidestepped the attack and dashed for the creature. A Wither Skeleton got in her way, and she smiled as a plan unfolded.

She grappled the skeleton, using their weight to push it down. It lay prone, and she jumped off it, her hidden blade unsheathing from her left wrist as she soared through the air. She brought it through the center of the fire elemental, its head. Its flames were extinguished, and she studied its face. A couple of Wither skeletons rushed to her.

She decided that it was a good time to regroup. Mavis rushed off to a teammate, and the Wither skeletons followed, alerting others of her presence. A small group of dark skeletons waited in front of her, and with a wall to her left and everywhere else infested with mobs, she did what she had to do.

Running on the wall and giving it all she had, the swords barely missed her form. She could see her teammates now, and she decided that was enough.

Steve could only feel as the second, seemingly separate but somewhat benign (to him) being consumed his consciousness. He felt his arm cut down skeleton after skeleton, but it wasn't him in control. He smashed through one's skull, flailing it around as the rest of the body whacked more mobs.

The other side of him leaked images, of pigs he had seen slaughtered and of the recently overtaken pig just a few minutes ago. Both sides of him flared up in anger, and his strength doubled. He barreled through the crowd, and pinned one of the fire demons to the ground. It was so surprised that its flames went out for a split second. A split second too long. Steve's sword pierced through its head, and he unsheathed and jumped back into the skeleton fray.

Sam fired arrows as he ran, three at a time, and none missing. Arrows clattered through ribs, and pierced through skulls. He angrily batted one skeleton down, stabbing with an arrow.

Solomon realized, that even with his friends and him outnumbered fourteen times over, the skeletons had no chance. He smirked, and manipulated a boulder to crush the last fire elemental. The sheer force splattered the demon, and shattered the rock. The mage shrugged, and levitated the pieces in midair. They became sharper, and he thrust them down to the enemies below.

As Steve sliced through the final skeleton, they continued to the base of the mountain.

* * *

They made it to the mountain and began to climb up. It was actually pretty enjoyable at the start. The mountain wasn't as steep at the bottom. But soon it elevated exponentially and ledges needed to be exploited for further continuation. It took a toll on the arms of the heroes as they pulled themselves up over and over again.

"How much longer until we make it to the top?" asked Solomon.

Steve looked up and judged the distance. "We are about half way there."

Solomon's face paled. "We should rest in that cave." He said and pointed to a ledge revealing an opening in the giant rock.

They made it to the ledge and sat down as they paid their oxygen debts. Lactic acid coursed through Steve's arms. "Good call, Solomon."

The sun was setting and it looked stunning from the angle they saw it on the mountain. They decided to spend the night in the cave.

"I'll scope it out." Mavis said and entered the dark cave. Her incredible eyes adjusted in a split second and she looked around. White eyes peered at her, and she nonchalantly walked back out of the infested cave.

"You guys should hold on to something." She said as she saw that the sun had freshly made its bed on the horizon.

The men only had time to wonder why, before a flurry of bats completely disoriented them. Sam nearly fell off, but Steve caught his foot.

In the hectic take off of the hungry bats, one stopped and noticed a figure with an alike color palette. Mavis held out her arm and it flew down to it. It looked up at the creature's luminous eyes. It chirped and flew away into the dark skies.

* * *

**My own author's note: ****So there you do. We worked on this together, so please give as much credit to Zing as to me. Not just for this chapter, but the whole story. **

**I just hope you enjoyed the chapter, and support this story. I guess he wants more reviews. Can't tell quite why, though.**

**Zing's A/N: I just want more reviews.**

**My A/N Again: Well there you have it. No explanation. Feel free to PM me, I won't bite. You could ask me about almost anything.**

**I have a poll on your favorite passive mob. Don't let your voice go unheard!**


	14. Lunch in the King's Yard

**We don't own Minecraft. In fact, Notch, his partners, Mojang, and affiliate companies do. **

**So now, really this story has had a new pillar to support it for some time now. From the beginning, and I really feel I haven't given him enough credit, (you know who I'm talking about) Zing! **

**He's written when I had not the time, opportunity, or interest (read: either too bored and not going to input that terrible feeling into the story, or writer's block, or insecurity. He's the backbone of this story, even having given the plot events during our discussion. This story, these characters, and the future events wouldn't have happened without him.**

* * *

"The cave should be clear now." Mavis said. The four entered the hole in the mountain and the moon shone into the cave so they didn't need a fire.

Solomon rapidly searched through his book until he found a picture of a floating head with rods on fire around it. He read quickly.

"Those things are called Blazes. They attack using..." he looked as Mavis gave him a blank stare.

"Right, let me tell you the stuff you don't know. They guard the Nether Fortress where the Wither lives. Their weakness is water and snow. They have a fire burning in their core and wish to die, so they attack much more aggressively. But that other creature..." He flipped through his book.

"That big one that Mavis saved Sam from was called a Ghast." Sam looked at the floor. "They not only shoot fireballs but attack with their tentacles. They are tortured souls and become enraged when a being that has the choice to go to the Overworld comes to its land for they scorn the gift of freedom." Solomon finished.

"Well we're done for. Did you see the size of that thing? And you're saying there's more. Imagine how powerful the thing who commands them is!" Sam said hopelessly.

"We will beat the Wither. That's why we have these." Steve produced the Ender Scrolls.

"I am not sure what they will yield, but they will enable us to slay the demon of the Nether. They must. Too many people are counting on us."

The group sat around the cave and prepared to sleep. Mavis sat on a rock and closed her eyes. Sam and Steve rolled on different sides of the cave until they found a comfortable spot. Solomon did the same. He wanted to lighten up their thoughts and distract them from the seemingly invincible powers of the Wither. Sam was trembling a little on the floor.

"Mavis, how could you drink that gross stuff?" Solomon asked. The other two sat up and looked at Mavis who now had her eyes open.

"Well, when I was growing up, resources were scarce and I got used to eating the food nobody else dared to touch."

Solomon gave her a look and hand gesture. _Go on..._

"Since my dad wanted me to eat most of the animal to conserve resources, I ate many weird dishes, like cow liver and tongue, sheep heart, fish eyes, squid tentacles, and most recently worm cakes the night before my eighteenth birthday." She looked around the cavern. Steve was mildly revolted. Sam's eye was twitching.

"Let's just say, I like my steak rare." She finished. Solomon smirked.

"I've eaten my fair shares of oddities as well. They were some trials to prove your psychological readiness to become a mage. Mostly various brains and tes-"

"Anyway," Steve cut in, "we're all tired and we should probably get some rest. I have a feeling we have a big day ahead of us."

The three slowly let the pleasure of slumber overtake them. The three had also lost their appetite and Mavis wasn't really hungry. Steve began to dream.

He was inside of Mavis's dorm. He didn't think he was intentionally snooping about so he felt no guilt as he turned to leave. The door was sealed shut. As he looked at the lock an eyeball opened from it. It was catlike and green.

Steve jumped and turned around. Mavis was standing in front of him. Usually her light armor would glimmer or her the stripes on her legs would be visible even in some darkness, but now everything but her face was as black as coal.

"Hey, sorry for intruding, I don't know how I ended up here. There's something wrong with your door, it has-" He was cut off by her slowly shutting her eyes. As she did this, her face became as dark as the rest of her. Her outline was just visible.

Instantaneously, she was sitting on a chair a couple of feet away from where she was standing and her legs were crossed. Before Steve had time to be confused, she did it again and popped up in the corner.

Lightning flashed through a window Steve had not noticed in the dark room before. He saw that Mavis was no longer in the corner. He reluctantly looked at the window and undoubtedly, her head's outline was there outside. But it was upside down. Her hair didn't flow down just as it didn't in the caverns.

The lightning flashed again and Mavis was right in front of him. Steve screamed internally.

"Mavis...?" Steve was terrified. She began to slowly open her eyes. They were purple.

He woke up gasping for breath. He found a tiny pool of sweat under his head.

* * *

The sun was just peeking over the horizon, wondering what its heroes were doing. Steve needed company to keep the the thoughts of his nightmare out of his mind, soon.

"Alright, let's get up and going." Said Steve anxiously. The two men woke up in a haze, exhausted from the battle and shock they went through just a night ago. However, the translation of the Ender Scrolls was nigh, and it gave them hope.

They got up and out of the cave. The sun was a little closer and hotter now that they have elevated a bit. The four still had a long way to go, perhaps a couple of vertical miles. They didn't think and got started right away to keep the thoughts of laziness at bay.

The team pushed forth, determined to reach the top of the colossal stone. Small grappling rocks were becoming sparse as they made their way higher and higher. They were soon forced to go up a single path, one at a time. Solomon found it hard to climb up after a while.

_This is insane! I know this mountain is supposed to be the tallest of all mountains, but we have been climbing for an hour! We will die of heatstroke if we continue at this ra-_

His hand slipped and he began to fall. He flailed his arm and tried to latch on to something, but he was too far from the mountain now. He looked down, the nearest ledge was twenty feet away.

He closed his eyes and his tome opened. Stones flew from the mountain and under his feet as they made a small circle below his legs. He stopped and floated upward. The group could only watch as he flew above them onto the nearest ledge.

When he touched down, he quickly laid himself on the ground. The four climbed up quickly to see what happened.

"Solomon, what's the matter?" Steve asked. Solomon groaned.

"To lift oneself with indirect levitation," he panted, "is like sprinting a mile, even if you float for a couple of seconds." He dripped some sweat onto the rock ledge. Mavis looked down at his arm. It was still partially deceased.

"We should take a stop here. Here Solomon, take my water. I insist." Mavis began dripping the water from her water reserve into his dry mouth. He knew he wouldn't be able to deny her charity, so he submitted to the kindness and drank the water gratefully. She gave the empty bottle back to Sam and he put it in one of his pockets.

Some time passed and they continued up. It wasn't long before they climbed a small expanse and found a flat part of the mountain. There was a large pond on the plateau-esque break between steep mountain rock. The heroes decided that the pond was much easier to go across than around.

Solomon was tired so the bridge he made was a little thinner than the ones he usually formed over water. It called upon some balance to make it across, but it wasn't difficult. They were on the other side of the pond in a minute or two.

Before they began to trek the mountain again, Mavis asked Sam for the empty bottle and kneeled over at the pond to refill it. Steve shrugged and joined her. He filled his bottle to the brim and placed the cork on the top of it. He looked down at his reflection as he finished filling up the bottle. His dark brown hair was hidden by his helmet. Then he looked over at Mavis's reflection.

He could only see the bottle as she filled it with water. It was hovering and submerging into the water with no visible source of kinetic energy to power this function on the surface of the liquid. Mavis did not have a reflection on the water.

She got up and returned to the group who were preparing to start the climb again.

"Wait, come back over here by the water." Steve asked. Mavis gave him a strange look.

"We have to continue, Steve."

"I know, but-"

"Remember why we're doing this. People are counting on us and tomorrow might be too late for them."

Steve obeyed and followed them. The team carried on, enduring the sun's heat. It seemed to apologize and hide behind clouds for as long as it could, but it did little help to the group who was forced to strain their abilities.

After another hour, they made it to another blunt part of the mountain. This time, the Archmage's small home was visible. It was on a hill on the mountain. There was some space between them and the beginning of the hill that was home to many freshly-bored holes. Sam didn't notice.

"Finally!" He shouted. It echoed through the valley and the ground rumbled slightly as dozens of spiders were awoken from their slumber. They emerged from the holes like enraged wasps. The sun gave one last look at the valiant saviors before a large cloud blocked its light. The field grew significantly dimmer and the spiders' eyes adjusted.

They became ferocious and lunged at the group. The first one went straight for Mavis's neck. Her hands shot out and grabbed the spider's head. Before it could react, it was lying the floor, its neck bent at a once impossible angle.

Sam fired at spiders who were drawing too close and Steve slashed at incoming jumpers. Solomon kicked one away from him and then grabbed something from a pouch on his belt. Gunpowder flew into the air, sprinkling every bug with the flammable substance.

"Sam! Light them up!" He yelled. Sam swiftly pulled an arrow out of his quiver. He bent down and picked up a rock. He wanted to swipe the arrow against the rock to create a spark, but they were too far away. He breathed deeply.

He threw the rock into the air going forward. He closed his eyes as he drew his string back. He opened them and let go. Time slowed to a near halt. The arrow twirled and dashed. The wind interacted with the arrow precisely. The rock was dropping into the swarm of spiders and into the arrows path. He held his breath.

The arrow's tip made contact. A tiny bright light bounced off of the stone. Then, the whole valley lit up with flames as roasted, eight legged beasts ran slowly into their deathbeds. The fire stopped with a bunch of dying hisses. All of the spiders fell on their back and their legs crippled into a curve. Solomon took no chances and closed all of the holes with a sweep of his hand.

Mavis eyed the barbecued bugs. "Lunch is ready." She said as she bent down and pecked at a spider leg with her hand, testing the heat. She snapped it off the body and took a bite out of the leg. She chewed it and swallowed.

"Holy rabies. Sam, have you ever considered looking into the culinary arts?" She ate another bite.

Sam nearly fainted and Solomon hacked. Steve and Mavis laughed. She finished the leg and threw away the scraps.

They ran up onto the hill and gazed upon the master's house.

"This journey has come to an end." Said Steve just as the cloud departed from the sun's presence. It shone down on the victorious heroes and lit up the mysterious house.

* * *

**So tons of thanks to a Mr. Zing. He wrote like 99.9% of this chapter while I was off with family, for Father's Day and my mother's birthday. Please show your appreciation of his skill, and support for this story, by leaving a review. He just eats those up.**


	15. Magical Gifts

**We don't own Minecraft. That is Notch, his partners, Mojang, and affiliate companies.**

**Alright, I'm back in the game and wrote this chapter, with some editing from Zing. Wasn't fair of me to make him do all that. **

**We hope you enjoy yourself.**

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The group stood at the door, and Solomon grasped the doorknob. He was amazed at how much power he could feel from the other side. It made him tremble for a bit, then twist. The group was blown back.

Sam landed on his back, Steve was on one knee with his sword at the ready, and Solomon was already opening his book just in case.

Mavis, the only one who managed to stay on her feet despite the raw power blowing her back, dived into the shadows near the door.

A booming voice laced with history's essence echoed. "Halt!"

The figure stood in the doorway, tall and thin. He looked right at Mavis's position.

"Come out, mistress of the dark." Mavis walked tentatively into the light. "Come, noble archer, valiant hero, and crafty mage."

The group followed Mavis's example of nearing this powerful figure. Solomon decided to check this guy's internal flame.

_Oh my Notch... _he thought. It consumed the tip of the mountain, and easily ate up where they stood. The tips seemed to reach the slightly setting sun. Solomon backpedaled instinctively, and all blood from his face drained. _He could kill us with a simple blink, or probably on accident._

Mavis had similar thoughts. _We must tread lightly._ _Simply a misread signal might get us blown to bits. Of course, he must be ancient and wise, so such outrages should be rare. With wisdom, and a bit of luck, we might get out of this alive. _She calmly smiled. _That should be a good start._

Sam was panicking inside. Even without intense mental training or magical ability,the power emanated from this man. _Arrows wouldn't make it from my bow. Nether, they wouldn't make it from my quiver!_

Steve pushed down any insecurities. "Are you the Archmage?"

The figure stepped into the light. It was a man, seemingly only a few years older than them. "I am. Do not let my appearance fool you. My apparent age is simply the effects of a rejuvenating spell."

He wore a dark black robe, to Mavis's interest. Steve was interested more in this guy's intent, and Solomon watched the impossibly wise eyes of the Archmage. Sam was just happy to be alive at this point.

Mavis asked, "We need you to translate these scrolls. Without them, we fear mankind is doomed to die."

The deceptively young Archmage replied, "It already is destined to fall. Man will not rule these lands forever. However, man will not be destroyed this soon. Not if I have anything to say about it. And I can see that mankind has chosen excellent ambassadors and heroes."

Steve handed over the Ender Scrolls. "If you can, please translate these."

The Archmage reached into a black chest, adorned with an Eye of Ender as the lock. He took out an identical Eye of Ender, and opened the scrolls on a table. He passed the Eye over the symbols, then palmed the Eye. Squeezing lightly, he translated what it said.

"I see. The world is in peril, thanks to the Wither. It will take everything man has to defeat him. I, who am gifted with slight clairvoyance, cannot tell whether man will succeed. However, these scrolls contain power even I do not possess. And it is not for me, but for the Receiver of Wisdom."

He looked at the group. "And the Receiver of Wisdom is one of you."

Steve held his breath, hoping to possibly get chosen. Sam bounced in excitement, unable to contain the sheer anticipation. Mavis stood up straight, calm. Solomon smirked, knowing it'd be him.

"You."

The Archmage pointed to the only female in the group. She smiled in surprise, and the Archmage beckoned her forward. Solomon was visibly devastated that he would not be the Receiver. Steve shrugged, and Sam deflated a bit but was happy for Mavis.

The Archmage put a hand on Mavis's head, transferring the scroll's power. The three scrolls rose as her eyes glowed deep purple.

Even Solomon, who was envious and seething internally, was awed by this display. Her very skin seemed to shine slightly, as her eyes started to dim from the purple glow to simple purple irises. Her skin dimmed as well, and Mavis dropped her jaw ever so slightly. She could feel more power coursing through her veins.

Solomon begrudgingly examined her flame. It easily engulfed the space around her, and the tips licked at the roof.

The mage smiled kindly at the group. "You are all united by more than what you see. You all have lost something dear to you, something that drives you to this day."

He said, "I'll start with you, Steve. I will let Mavis become accustomed to her new power."

"Start what?" Steve asked.

"I can show you things clearer than you remember, and things you couldn't see."

The Archmage placed his hand on Steve's head, but this time with different intent. The Archmage scanned through Steve's memories and mind. He selected a distant memory for his first objective.

Steve gasped as the memories resurfaced.

_Steve was in a forest, near a cave. Steve was younger, only a few years old. He cried, "Daddy! Daddy!"_

_His father was a miner, and had gone off to collect ores to sell. While his mother had not been looking, he snuck out to follow. Unfortunately, he had gotten lost, and now was where he was._

_He cried out for his father one last time, then heard a moan. He turned to see a zombie looking down at him like lunch. Its moans attracted creepers and spiders, all intent on feasting on this little boy._

_He squeaked and scrambled away. "No, no no! Daddy, help!" He turned away from the oncoming mobs, into a cave. It was a dead end, and he closed his eyes shut. He knew any second, the rotten hands and fangs would claim him. _

_Nothing came. Then eventually, a snort echoed in the cave, and there was a small pig in front of him. He seemed to have driven the mobs away, and was now comforting little Steve. He snorted again, gently. Steve hugged the piglet tightly. _

Steve felt a few tears on his face, but quickly wiped them. Then the Archmage activated another memory.

_The pig was in front of him again. But this time, the pig was bigger, and had custom-made boots and a helmet. Steve knew he made it for his pig. The pair were in a mineshaft. Behind them, a creeper snuck. It glowed and exploded. _

_As the explosion happened, Steve cradled his pig. They fell into a deeper and darker part of the mineshaft, Steve having taken both the blast and fall damage. The pig nuzzled Steve, and they stood. Steve placed his last torch on the ground._

_Around them was a dozen of mobs. Steve was too off-guard and weakened for a fight. The pig squealed as it charged, hitting every mob on its way. All the mobs chased the pig around a dark corner. _

_Steve quickly made more torches, and ran to the corner. He turned it, but only found a pork chop. Tears flooded his eyes, and he knelt beside the pork chop. He mined a hole in the ground, placed his pet's remains, and covered it in dirt. He grabbed a single rose and a carrot and placed them on top._

Steve now had too many tears to wipe easily. The Archmage offered him a piece of woolen cloth, and Steve accepted. Then the Archmage spoke to Steve.

"You lost a close and dear companion. Now, I do my best to comfort you."

His eyes glowed, and a portal opened in front of Steve. Out came a pig, with a couple scars on his flanks. It snorted at Steve and charged. Steve stood in awe as his pig tackled him and nuzzled him on the ground. Steve hugged his pig tightly, and they stayed there for a bit.

They stopped, and Steve was on one knee to keep petting his pig. He was still sure that he was hallucinating, because there was no way this pig was here. There was no way _his_ pig was here. He tried to thank the Archmage, but no sound came out.

The Archmage held up his hand. "You're welcome. Now, come, archer."

Sam walked past Steve and his pig. The Archmage placed a hand on Sam's head. A memory flooded Sam's consciousness.

"_I do." Maria, a brown-haired beauty in a pristine white dress, said. _

_A priest nodded and said. "Sam, you may kiss the bride."_

_Sam nodded and grinned. He kissed his new wife as their families clapped and cheered. A transition, and he was lying down in bed, sleepy as the sun's morning rays peeked at him. Maria came in, wearing a loose housedress. She held a tray with food on it, and happily said, "Sam, you awake? I made you breakfast!" _

Sam snapped out of it enough to become stoic, as was his usual tactic for combating his emotional string with her. A new memory resurfaced, one that pained Sam.

_The lovers were in a mineshaft. Sam was nervously aiming his bow around, and Maria was happy with a short sword at her hip. She rushed over to a darker part of the corridor, and placed a torch to light it up._

_She beamed at Sam, and Sam smiled sheepishly back. Then his expression morphed into one of horror as the light revealed a zombie horde. One zombie grabbed her, and as she struggled and screamed he aimed his bow. _

_He fired an arrow, and missed. The arrow delved into the zombie horde, alerting the rest. The undead holding Maria bit her neck. Sam rushed up and stabbed it in its eye. It died, releasing Maria. _

_He picked her up and carried her. As he ran from the horde with her in his arms, he regretted having explored so deeply. He looked at her wound. It was green and oozing._

_He kept going until he reached a dead end. He froze, let her down gently, and loaded his Final Shot arrow. The TNT tip hit a support beam of the mineshaft, exploding it. That part of the tunnel caved in, and left the couple alone._

_He tried to kiss her as he cradled her head. She shook her head, and talked of living on for her. He cried as she slipped away, and stayed for the hours it took. She grew still, and then started to move again. Sam's face was bright with hope, only to darken as he saw she wasn't Maria anymore._

_He cried for a bit longer, keeping her at bay as she tried to bite his neck. Eventually his eyes turned devoid of emotion, and he grasped her head firmly._

Sam's mind was nearing breaking point, and the Archmage spoke to soothe him.

"You have lost your lover. Let me see if I can help you have her closer." He kept his hand on Sam's head, and Sam felt a tingling sensation in his mind. Maria was in there, somewhere deep. Nothing could possibly have fought the madness better.

"Aspiring mage, come to me." Solomon sheepishly walked to the Archmage. As Solomon looked up with admiration and hope, the Archmage looked down with fondness. Placing a hand on Solomon's head, the Archmage activated the first memory.

_Solomon is in front of his parents, a teacher next to him. _

"_This boy isn't normal." Solomon looked down, feeling like dirt._

"_He'll do great things, for the boy can use magic." Solomon looked up at his teacher, who smiled down at him. "There's a mage program at this academy nearby. If you qualify, you might be able to be successful."_

"_We knew he would amount to great things. We know he'll do fantastically." His parents said._

Solomon spat, "Liars." The next memory came along.

_His parents received the grade Solomon earned in the preliminary round. It was scarcely passing. He looked up at his parents. "How did I do?"_

_His mother shook her head. "Barely well enough." _

_His father sternly looked at his son. "Son, we do not raise failures. You will be the top in your class, or we will be very angry."_

_It transitioned to his instructor talking to his parents. "We'll have to drop him from the class. His power simply won't rise, and with little power, he'll amount to little more than a sideshow magician."_

_At home, bags were packed and tossed to a shocked Solomon. His parents were furious. "Go. Get out. You are no longer welcome here in this house. We do not tolerate failure."_

_Solomon walked out, his heart both breaking and freezing. Bitter tears rolled down his cheeks, but he refused to look back._

Solomon had a foul taste in his mouth, but the Archmage's hand and found smile erased his sour demeanor.

"You are more powerful than you think. Let me show you." The hand on his head glowed, and Solomon felt a barrier in his mind lift. He knew what power that entailed, and bowed to the Archmage.

"Come, mistress of the dark." Mavis stepped forward, still happy from being the Receiver. His hand rested on her head, and memories filled her consciousness.

_Mavis smiled as her mother carried her and cooed. Her father smiled and hugged them both. Mavis saw as she first walked to her mother. She saw as her mother showed her pictures from a children's book. It was to show her the dangers of mobs in hopes she would not get entangled with battling. Her first word was, "Mom."_

Mavis beamed as she could see her mother clearly.

_Her mother screamed as fire ate away at the house she was in. Mavis was with her father, unaware of her mother's impending demise. Mobs had caused the flames, with kicking of torches to light the house. She could see her in the house, looking for a way out only to find them blocked with mobs. She sighed and Mavis could see her only regret was that she couldn't spend more time with her. The fire consumed the house, and she could feel its insane heat. She looked over at the red-eyed mobs that started the fire. She bared her fangs and hissed. _

The captain's eyes were watery, but she remained in control.

The Archmage spoke. "You lost your mother to mobs and flames. Use this to even the score."

He gently held her right hand, and magic flowed through that hand. She felt it warmer than usual, and little embers were playing on her palm. The embers intensified and fire bloomed from her hand.

She quickly grabbed her cape with her left hand to smother the flames, until she realized she didn't need to. The fire wasn't hurting her. She looked down at the fire, she thought she saw her mom's face smile up at her and disappear.

She focused on a small stone at the end of the master mage's den, and held out her hand. Instantly, a slender jet of flame hit the stone. It bounced off the wall and came to a slow roll on the floor. It looked like a piece of charcoal. Mavis blinked.

_I only used a tenth of the power. What can the rest be capable of? _She looked at her flaming hand. _I guess we'll find out soon. _She clenched her hand into a fist tightly. _I will avenge you, Mother. Or die trying. _Then she returned the flames back in her hand, and her hand became normal again.

She radiated her new Ender-energy and called an Enderman. As she did this her eyes glowed into a shade of purple. Steve, Sam, and Solomon stepped toward her involuntarily. They stopped when her call was finished.

A tall, dark outline was in the room in a flash and looked at Mavis angrily for a second, then felt the need to obey. This affinity affected every Enderman, and even to some extent their leader. She asked, "Mind taking my friends and me to the Landing, the human city?"

The Enderman nodded, and with his long arms, held them all in a strange hug. They waved to the Archmage, and were teleported to the Landing.

Instantly several guards were ready to strike the Enderman, until Mavis explained. She finished with, "Spread the word, please. And make sure that Kenny knows we're here, and to tell his troops not to attack Endermen."

* * *

Kenny walked over to the group, and the first thing he heard was Mavis.

"Kenny, look at my new trick!" She lit the ground nearby on fire with a snap.

Kenny charged up to Solomon. "What did you _do_ to her, charmcaster?"

Solomon glared at the general. "Nothing. It was the Archmage who helped us all." He aimed at the flames and a stream of water hit them.

Kenny ordered, "Alright. Everyone go to the conference room. We need to recollect our intel and make a battle plan. And... what's with the pig?" He looked at Steve's pig.

Steve happily said, "He's a long lost friend."

Kenny nodded. "Fair enough. Take him with you. Now go."

The group walked off to the conference room, before Kenny pulled Solomon back. Solomon was ready to jump back and fight, until he noticed the look on Kenny's face.

The general spoke. "Look, I don't want to fight you. I shouldn't have attacked you, or judged you so quickly. Let's put it behind us." He held out a hand.

Solomon shook it, saying, "I shouldn't have said what I did. You're a good leader, and I'm sure you respect all your troops."

Kenny grinned. "Even the mercenaries."

* * *

**As usual, all Zing wants is a review for Christmas. Won't you be Santa?**

**As for me, all I hope for is that you enjoyed yourself. Have a nice day.**


	16. To Arms!

**Minecraft is owned by Notch, his partners, Mojang, and affiliate companies. Not me.**

**Alright, as Zing said in the review, my internet was down for about a week and some. So he did most of this chapter to not waste time. I place full confidence in his writing, as he does in mine. This entire fanfic has been a meld of my writing and his. So please don't give me any more credit than him.**

**We're both fans of games in general, and we've given what ranges from nods to full-on arrows to cool games in the story. **

**So with no further ado, here's Chapter 16.**

* * *

Kenny was at the front of the long room, with advisors and the group sitting at the long table. Most of the soldiers in the Landing were there too.

"Alright, people. If we can't organize our forces, we can't win against the Wither. Steve, would you care to tell us the information your group has gained?"

He stood from petting his pig, who snorted. "I might say things we already know, so simply count that as review. Alright, the Wither resides in the Nether. He's in some room deep in the Fortress. He seems to be getting a weaker grip on the Overworld's creatures, but I think it's because he's storing up power."

He continued. "We'd need to go into the Nether, fight our way to the Fortress, and barge in. I doubt our entire army could do such a thing, mostly because there will be far too many Nether demons to fight." The entire militia looked at him in shock.

_Go to the depths of the Nether? Is he completely insane?_

One advisor interrupted him. "And how do you suppose we get an entire army down there?"

Steve smiled knowingly. "Magic."

Solomon began. "I can open several portals into the Nether, allowing for our entire army to enter and fight at once. We'll need to be very careful. In my training as a mage, I've been to the Nether. This was before the War, of course. It'll be dangerous. There's as much lava there as water here. Fires start at random, and the residents there can easily stand complete submersion in lava. However, they will still drown if they're down there long enough."

The mage continued. "We'd need tempered armor and a few bottles of water per soldier, to say the least."

One dirtied man snapped his fingers, having remembered something. "Captain Mavis!"

Mavis looked at him from the other side of the enormous room.

"Captain, your emergency suit is ready."

Mavis nodded. "That's good. We can see how it fits and such after the meeting."

The blacksmith gestured sheepishly for Solomon to continue.

The mage obliged. "So we must begin this preparation immediately."

Steve continued as Solomon drank from his water supply. "We need to initiate this plan, dubbed Operation Nether Storm, as soon as we can. The Wither is getting stronger, and as I said, his seemingly weakening grip here can only mean he's increasing in power over there. He's already insanely powerful. If he gets much stronger, nothing we do will have an effect."

The conference room approved of the progress and plan the heroes had cooked up.

Solomon shot his teammates and Kenny a look. _We need to talk after the meeting, _the look conveyed.

The team joined him at the back of the room while the rest of the army talked things out, nervously but surely.

"Guys, we are going to need a Nether of a lot more than just this bunch." Solomon said and motioned to the last of the human forces. Sam looked around. There must have been at least two hundred strong men, not including women and children.

"OK, I know he will be tough to kill, but you really don't think we can take him with all of them?" Sam asked amazed. Then again, Solomon was the only one that went to the Nether.

"Oh, I'm sure of it." He quipped. "There are enough mobs down there to chew up and spit out this amount of soldiers." Solomon said. Sam looked uneasy. Mavis stepped in.

"Alright, first things first." The three looked at her confused. _Solomon just said we have no chance, what could we possibly-_

"The Archmage gave me power over the Endermen, so if we go to their home and recruit all of them to fight on our side, our forces would be increased by an easy five hundred or more." She said and her eyes sparkled as she thought. _Maybe even plus one ultimate game-changer._

Solomon expanded on the thought. "Yeah... we can add to our fighters. The Archmage gave me enough power to fill an ocean. There's a spell that can allow me to create formidable golem entities. It was hard to do until now. But, we should probably go get our Ender buddies first." He said. "Follow me."

The group tailed Solomon outside the conference room and into the courtyard.

"Alright, I may be able to open a direct portal to where we need to go." He said as he closed his eyes and concentrated. The ground began to shake and rocks started to flow upward like apples bobbing in water.

Then suddenly, the shards of rock started to circle the mage quicker and quicker. They made terrible sounds of arrows whizzing by over someone's head.

The ground began to crack and a portal rippled and manifested into the dirt. It was partially imbedded in the earth but most was upright out of the soil.

"Ok, we're good. Let's go. Stick by Mavis or the Endermen might attack us, and over there we are outnumbered a hundred to one. It would be like hornets enveloping a helpless insect." He finished.

* * *

The group cautiously took their first steps in this new environment. They found themselves on a platform made of obsidian. It was just off of the unnatural ground.

Mavis jumped off the floating rocks and the rest followed. They turned around and the portal closed. Sam gulped.

As they walked through this land they saw tall pillars of obsidian with strange gems and glass on fire at the top.

The Endermen eyed the heroes. _How did these people get in our home? Three men and a... _

They stood still as they saw Mavis. They appeared before her on either side of their walkway and kneeled. Mavis stopped. They seemed to be leading them to a specific place in this land.

Although she appreciated the directions, she didn't like their submission. She hadn't done anything to prove her dominance over them and was therefore unworthy of their presentation of loyalty. She bent down and took one by the hand to stand it up. She looked at the other ones and her eyes flashed. They all did the same.

Now they were standing but still lead to their ruler's resting spot. The travelers walked for a bit and noticed a figure up ahead. It was a giant beast with wings and it was laid down.

Before long they were upon it. The beast opened an eye and noticed its interlopers.

In an instant it beat its wings and flew upward. In the next second it smashed into the ground and snapped its massive jaws at the group.

The beast was so gigantic the bite made a loud clap that echoed through the strange land. Steve held up his arm and shut his eyes tightly. Sam and Solomon turned and held their heads in their arms.

Steve opened his eyes to see Mavis staring down the dragon. It was looking back at her and was snarling. They seemed to be having a mute conversation.

The beast roared an inch from her face but she didn't back down. The dragon looked at her again. She closed her eyes slowly. When she opened them again, they were turning green and her pupils were painfully thinning. When she was finished, her eyes were cat-like, nocturnal.

They greatly resembled the Eyes of Ender that the Archmage used. The beast stared at her. It reluctantly bowed its head at its master.

She placed her hand on its head. When she spoke, her once pleasant, smooth voice was being amplified by a deep, demonic partner.

"_Have you felt the Wither's influence on you and your friends these past few years?" _The dragon looked down.

"_Are you angry about what he has done to the innocent Ground-Walkers?" _It nodded.

"_Will you help me take him down once and for all?"_ The beast roared in a tremendous affirmative.

It looked down at her with one massive eye, and saw only true compassion. It sensed no feelings of ill-will or betrayal. The Enderdragon bowed its neck and Mavis knew it wanted the group to hop on.

"Thank you, majestic dragon," she said as she motioned for the group to mount the leader of the Endermen. Sam hopped on with Steve's help, hanging on to one of the spines. Steve and Solomon held tight with their legs, and hugged the dragon's neck as best they could.

Mavis sat on the dragon's head, both legs crossed on one side. She smiled and patted the dragon. Solomon opened his book and symbols rose as another portal was being created.

The strange rock broke apart as fragments were sacrificed into a massive portal. The Enderdragon trodded forward and through. Sam watched as the Endermen instead reached the Overworld by teleporting.

* * *

Kenny was waiting for them, with a couple guards. "What is the meaning of this?" He motioned to their surroundings. Everywhere, tall dark figures were watching the Receiver carefully.

Kenny sighed. "I mean, I know you said not to hurt them but this is pushing it a bit."

Mavis smiled and Kenny lightened up. He turned to Solomon. "You've been to the Nether before, mage. Now do you think we have a chance, Solomon?"

Solomon nodded. "Well, if your troops are ready to my specifications, then yes. We have a chance."

He hopped off, followed by the rest of the group. "I think I might have something to even our odds a lot more."

He opened his book, and his eyes glowed as symbols rose. Green orbs came from his hand, and melted into the ground. He lifted, and the stone itself came up in many places.

Solomon pushed with power, and the symbols flew from above the book into each formless shape of stone. Slowly, they all took identical form.

The shape was that of a man, but much thicker everywhere and slightly hunched from the stone's weight. Then a few tubes of stone looped over the "face," making a basic cage-like mask.

Suddenly, a pair of cylinders took their place on the back. One hand seemed human-like, but the other took shape into a drill. Finally, the eyes were eight simple glowing circles on the face.

Solomon's eyes returned to normal, and he took a bow before elaborating on his stone golems. There were about fifty entities of stone.

"Deep inside, there is a pocket of magic. Smart magic. Smart enough to give behavior to these golems, and as we're trying to save mankind, I gave them a protector type of personality."

He continued. "So the cylinders in the back offer protection. The pocket must remain intact, or the magic will be released in a violent manner. The energy flows into these circles, showing emotion. These things are alive in almost every way. So the mask is for aesthetics, but do provide protection from slashing and such."

Then he pointed to the drill. "In the Nether, there is netherrack EVERYWHERE. He won't have time to mine each one slowly, with a pick. This drill functions as a mega-tool, able to break rock and bones. Show them," He patted the golem near him, and raised a stone dummy to look like a Wither skeleton.

The golem groaned angrily as its circles glowed red. It charged at the dummy, drill first. In one blow, the dummy was shattered.

"See? The perfect type of golem. He's also pretty much fireproof. He could probably survive in lava for a minute or two." He smiled. "What do you think?"

Kenny smiled. "I think we have ourselves an army here."

Solomon smiled. "Alright, then. Let's get this started before the Wither gets any more powerful."

"Hold on." Mavis said, out of the blue. "I need to get some people..." She motioned to two Endermen to follow her and they walked at her side. They trailed her as she went into the main structure.

* * *

Her eyes darted left and right quickly. When she found no one was in the barren halls, she pulled a torch from its place on the wall and it opened, revealing a staircase going down. A secret prison only some convict-regulating guards knew of.

She walked down the eery steps with her two noble guards as she entered the prison.

_These people are the worst of the worst. The most bloodthirsty, murderous killers come down here._

When she made it to the bottom, all Nether broke loose.

Chains rattling, iron bars being slammed repeatedly, yells of disapprovement. She eyed every prisoner as she walked through the dim jail. Some had no shirt on. Others looked like they've cut themselves so when they'd heal, it would like they had an insignia across their back. The smell was vile. Mavis was appalled.

_Keep calm. I know Dad doesn't let me down here, but we might need their support. Even these lost souls have a leader..._

She looked about. He was in the back of the prison in a single cell. She had to go even deeper in the prison. As she progressed, the criminals became even more ravenous.

"Hey baby!" One prisoner yelled through the commotion. "Where have you been!? You know, if I were out there, I'd beat you down and-" He was looking into the eyes of an Enderman in an instant. The dark entity seized his neck through the iron bars and raised him to head level. The man kicked his legs and thrashed. The Enderman held him still. It stared deep into the eyes of his master's aggressor and threw him backward.

The prisoner fell with a thud. The criminal coughed and gasped for air. The others looked at what had happened. They quieted down a little but this time yelled with a pleading tone.

"Please! Take me with you! I hate it in here, man." She was a foot away from this one.

"Don't worry, everyone is going to get out of here. But, you won't like where you're going." Mavis said.

"Nah, man. I'd rather be in the Nether than here!" She looked over at him with an amused look.

"You don't say..." She continued.

_Ok, if I get that man at the end to listen to me, then all will follow him._

She made it to the cell. She looked over at the cell label. _Mike Frigeras_.

"Excuse me, sir." She started overly polite. "The Overworld is in peril and we need you and your crew to help us out."

The criminal looked up slowly. "Do you think I'm going to take orders from some random bitch? Your kind were the ones who threw me and my bros in here, and without that little entourage of freaks back there, you wouldn't even have dared to mess with us."

She was unfazed. _A word I have never heard before... Probably for good reason too..._

She began to open the cell with a key outside of it, out of arm's reach.

"Oh, are you and your little cactus pricks gonna make me join you with a smile?"

She was prepared. "No, just me." She said as she stepped inside. The prisoner was not amused. She closed the door, locked it with the key, and threw it to one of the Endermen outside. The two figures looked at each other and gave a mute laugh. When you think about it, _she_ was escorting _them_.

At this, the criminal jumped on his feet and clenched his fists tightly. "You have some nerve..." Upon closer inspection, this man has built himself up a lot. He was six inches taller than her and plenty more thick.

"I didn't ask you, I am ordering you to stand and fight for the innocent people up there." The criminal swung at her. She easily went under his petty hook. He tried again but missed. A flurry of punches went right by her face, but he missed everyone.

"Stop running from me! STAND STILL AND JUST SEE WHAT HAPPENS! I'LL SEND YOUR HEAD FLYING OFF!" She paused.

_Challenge accepted._

She stood still and he let loose his strongest punch. It landed on her face, right in the knockout zone. Her head was thrown back quite a bit. He grinned. However, to his horror, her feet were in the same spot and her face was blank with disappointment. She slowly, calmly put her head back in front of his. There was not even a mark left on her face.

She said two words that almost made him soil his prison trousers. "My turn."

She launched an uppercut straight for his stomach. Before he knew it, her fist was plunged into his center, driven by insane momentum, and it seemed to be lost in his abdomen. She pulled it back nonchalantly.

He stumbled about the cell, holding his stomach. He shambled on and tripped at the corner. He kneeled at the corner, holding his mouth. Then vomit spewed out of his throat. The bile splattered all over the corner of the cell. Mavis was staring at him, emotionless with dead eyes.

He looked up, "Damn you..." He said before he erupted again. He looked around at his fellow convicts. No word could sum up the shame he felt.

"I will tell you one last time, you will fight for the people of the Landing and you will bring them along too." He looked up at her again. He was seething but he knew when he was beat. He was ready to take his anger out on any Nether creature. He gave an evil smile.

"Where do we sign up?"

* * *

The prisoners were in the light of day and squinted. It was the first time they had direct sunlight in a while. Mavis noted to the Endermen that they were potentially hostile, so they surrounded the convicts. They were to go into separate parts of the Nether as to not betray some personal guards.

Solomon opened a new portal, but this time the nearest people could smell brimstone.

"This is just one. Here," he opened a couple dozen more, "are the rest."

Then Solomon opened one last portal in the air. It was massive, and the Enderdragon nodded at the mage.

Solomon continued. "Alright, the Wither is very powerful, and we'll be going right into his realm once we go through those portals. Out here, the mobs were stronger and darker underneath his influence. In there, his dark energy will permeate even our minds, so I'll try to safeguard us from that."

He levitated his book, and what seemed like hundreds of tiny symbols floated. They all scattered into the army, floating above each person's head. Each turned neon blue, and ballooned over their heads like bubble helmets.

Gradually the bubbles turned invisible, but were still there.

Solomon explained, "That is a mind veil. It blocks some dark magics and energy. However, it only works if you want it to and are strong enough to withstand the barrage of evil that will attack your mind. I built the roof of your minds' protection, now you must provide the walls."

Mavis smiled, then turned around. Ben was there, with a hand reaching out to tap her shoulder.

"Oh!" He exclaimed. "I'm sorry, Captain. But... tell me the truth, please. _Please. _If we go down there, will I ever see the surface again?"

Mavis gave him her best smile. "I promise you will."

Everyone looked forward. They couldn't see the other side since it was a shroud of purple.

While everyone was putting on their gear, Mavis walked to the blacksmith's small workplace. He was hunched over an incredibly thin armor set. He looked up.

"Mavis, I have finished your suit. It's self contained, so you can breath in it and it will regulate your body temperature in scorching or freezing conditions." It looked like a diving suit made for combat. He pointed at the arms and legs of the suit.

"These are the main clothes that seal the atmosphere away from you, and they're covered in fire-tempered bindings. The long boots at the bottom are also fire-proof." She looked at them. They looked like belts on top of the white clothes.

"Next is the head and collar piece. They are connected, and your head can swivel like a ball in a socket. The glass of the headpiece is circular and tinted. It's thick enough to deflect incoming arrows and fire. You have two shoulder braces. And you can survive a minute in fire and ten seconds in lava, in case you find yourself thrown in."

"And now, the final pieces are the weapons and back set. Your left arm is attached with a syringe that can be used like a rapier, to your specifications." Mavis remembered the vial she got from the witch.

"I modified your right hand glove to better suit your new powers. They have holes that open when they feel an outward pressure to prevent oxygen loss. So, you can be in an enclosed suit, but still let the skin of your palm and fingers expose themselves when you decide to use fire. I also added a little something in case the mobs are too close for comfort." It was a small spear, the length of her hidden blade that she could use to punch.

"There is a tank of air on the back. This is the heaviest part of the suit, and it needs to go on your right side. To balance it out, I implemented a cage on the other to shield you from incoming slashes. It can also be used to store items in." She studied the cage. It had pink bows tied about the bars.

"Why are there bows tied to it?" She asked.

"To express your femininity. Trust me, when the rest see the way you massacre mobs in this suit, they won't believe a girl is inside of it."

"I'm not that young." She said playfully.

"Trust me captain, when you're as old as I am, you'll wish you could say the opposite."

The rest of the group wondered where she could have gone and went into the blacksmith's shop.

"Hey, what are you doing here? We're ready to go." Sam asked, wondering just what the Archmage has given him.

"I'm about to put on my battle suit."

The blacksmith spoke, "I'm sorry I couldn't make the air tank lighter. I think it's going to slow you down significantly."

Sam looked down. _It can't be that heavy. It has air in it, right?_

He tried to lift the large, cylinder tank with both hands. He struggled and pulled the metal up to his chest. It took all of his might to carry it. It would be easier to carry the tank on his back, but it would still be a tremendously hindering weight. He threw it down with an echoing bang and refilled his lungs.

"That's alright. I anticipated a suit of this caliber would be hard to carry, so I started weight training since my birthday. That was when I fashioned this cape..." She picked up her seemingly feather-like shroud off her shoulders and dropped it on the ground. It fell like an enormous piece of lead.

Then she took off her upper body armor. That literally fell like lead. It was lead, after all, just painted over to give the appearance of iron. The three men dropped their jaws in awe. Only one thought went through their minds:

_She has been jumping as high and fighting as vigorously this whole time... with that stuff on?!_

Steve and Solomon turned to Sam internally, waiting for him to pick up the _training weights_. But by the way they sounded when they hit the ground, the two were convinced that it was insanely heavy, and Sam was convinced he couldn't lift it an inch from the ground.

Mavis slipped on the white, atmospheric clothes and placed the boots, collar and shoulder armor, leather and buckles, and the two back pieces on top. Only her hands and head were not underneath the thin yet sturdy armor. She placed the helmet over head and it clicked, snapped, and fizzed into place.

The glass glowed a radiant green. She was surprised; the light was so bright it illuminated the dim corners of the shop, but it didn't interfere with her vision.

"Nice..." She said happily. Her voice came out of the suit in a way that sounded like she was talking through an intercom of pipelines. It sounded intriguing and neat.

She produced a vial that seemed to have came from behind her back.

"Where were you keeping that?" Sam asked.

"Where do you keep your stuff?"

Sam blinked. "In my... pock-"

"This is going to pack a punch when I drive it into the Wither with this." She pointed over to the syringe-sword.

She interrupted him with good intentions. He almost found out that Създателят направи кодовете, които да позволяват на хората да съхраняват големи позиции в малки пространства почти безкрайно.

She placed the vial on the end of the syringe. It sucked up the toxic poison and it went into another vial attached to the back end of the great needle.

She then put on the glove along with the other one and she was complete.

They walked out of the shop after she thanked the blacksmith.

* * *

Solomon signaled that he needed to talk with them immediately. "Alright guys, I can create a special mind veil that is very strong, but can only be used for a small group."

Both Mavis and Steve said that they needed to get someone.

Steve came back with Kenny. "Solomon, why does Steve say I need to be here?"

Ben came along with Mavis. She said, "Ben needs to be in our circle."

Kenny and Ben both looked puzzled. Solomon decided to simply do and explain later.

His book levitated, and large symbols of power floated above each of their heads, much like the normal mind veil. Then they bubbled over everyone's heads. Still, nothing seemed new. Each bubble expanded and grew until all six were about to touch.

As soon as all the bubbles connected, they felt a rush of power. They could feel more than just themselves in their minds.

Solomon explained. "Now we have an advanced form of a mind veil. We can rely on each other's strength in times of need, and we can even check how each of us our doing. Overall, we're connected in our minds and emotions."

* * *

Now they were looking out into the purple portals with apprehension. One Big Golem was going with each group. The prisoners were going into two separate portals and the rest of the army and Endermen would have to try and equal things out. Not an easy task when there are nearly one thousand moving entities with only a couple dozen of portals to go through. This way, however, they would be more far spread and likely to do much more damage. Plus they wouldn't need to wait for soldiers ahead to go through, for they will hit the Nether with one great surprise attack.

Kenny went to the front. His face was dead serious and ready for action. He rode upon a huge horse with iron armor, as did four of his Onyx Knights. They were the most elite swordsmen and guards, second only to Mavis.

He began, motioning to a chest full of snowballs, "Ammunition is in short supply, so make every shot count! Line those mobs up!"

He looked down at Steve before thinking of moving another step forward. He had helped in exponentially increasing their forces and needed to offer the goods.

"You want the honors, Steve?"

Steve looked up at him. "It's your show, General."

He walked to the front with his guardians. They were armored from head to toe in the finest black armor. Their eyes seemed to glow a blue shade. Mavis thought it was possible that they wore the colors in respect of her, but it was much more likely that they recognized the intimidation that the color black will fester in the mix of a battle.

"Listen up!" He started, his voice as loud as thunder without a trifle of weakness, "We got mobs right outside these portals! When we go out these portals, we go out hard! You WILL engage the enemy with bows blazing and gears grindin'!

"Yes, sir!" Someone replied weakly but devotedly from the crowd.

"Hit on three, two, one!" The men excitedly ran through the portal outlines and into the purple confusion. "Go! Go! Go!"

* * *

**And there you have the sixteenth chapter. I can definitely say that Zing wants more reviews. PM him or me about the story or just to chat. Although it'd be a better idea to PM me, since I don't think he's on Fanfiction much.**

**Anyways, we hope you liked it.**

**Zing A/N: Guys, I've been seeing a lack of reviews... This chapter took a lot of my time and effort, so I'd appreciate if you dropped by a little, 2-minute review. **


	17. Taste of Hell

**We don't own Minecraft. That is Notch, his partners, Mojang, and affiliate companies.**

**H. A/N: Alright, this might have taken longer than usual... sorry 'bout that. Anyways, we're back with a heated chapter. Go on and read it, and please don't forget to review. Really makes my day. And it shows support and gives us feedback that we can use. Plus, I will reply.**

**And here, I give thanks to the authors and the stories that inspired me to start writing for Fanfiction. Zing has his own backstory, but for me it was these two:**

**Jizena and Rosie Denn, co-authors of ****_The Mysterion Mythos: Cthulhu Fhtagn_****, and ****_The Mysterion Mythos: Damien's Inferno_****.**

**Both are South Park stories, not the place you'd expect to find the most amazing and well-written stories this author thinks exists in all of Fanfiction.**

**Z. A/N: Hey guys, I hope you guys enjoy the following chapter. It took a lot out of us, but it's worth it to see your rejuvenating comments. But before we get into the story, however, let's take a look at some of your wonderful comments and our responses to them. **

**iliketoreviewthegoodstries: (H) It was Zing's idea. Maybe it is... And yes, yay for the Enderdragon. Heh. (Z) That was meant to cover some information only known by some people...**

**Enderdude: (H) Ha, well, kinda... see for yourself. This is just a taste, but a good one that shows what's going on around the Nether. (Z) Yes yes, we strive to give people like you the most enthralling and action-packed experience possible.**

**Guest 1: (H) Nah, I think she's fine. :3 (Z) In her defense: There are many characters like this who just have unnatural control and flawlessness, and I'd be like that too if the enemy killed my mom when I was six.**

**Guest 2: (H) Thanks, that's nice to hear from someone. Is our fanfic that good? Nah, it can't be. It's a big site. We try, and Zing covers for me when I don't feel up to my best (and that happens a lot more often than you think, so show some appreciation for my partner in crime and review, everyone!) Heh, first stop Fanfiction, next stop publisher's office. Thanks, do that if you want. (Z) Well, we do pride ourselves in giving you our best, but I think that's a bit much for us. I'm not the greatest when it comes to language... Far from it as a matter of fact.**

**Darkstorm: (H) Thanks. Youtube stories? And if you knew where his name came from, it might blow your mind... And it isn't Russian. (Z) Let's just say, there isn't a song named after me.**

**Guest 3: (H) Used to, none right now. Not playing Minecraft much these days... (Z) I would if one of you want to see me. I'm making a giant pixel art of M- uh, something... Secret for now...**

**rachel4eav7: (H) Here you go then. And in that case, the respective guest review response would be yours. (Z) Rachel, I am sorry. Believe me, I know all too well how you fell right now. It's just with such little commenters, I don't feel as motivated to write.**

**(Z) THIS FIRST PART HAPPENS AFTER THE THE PARTS BELOW IT. (H) Enjoy!**

* * *

A girl not older than thirteen years old saw a vacant portal. She wore a purple dress that went down just over her knees and had her brown hair in a neat ponytail held by a white bow. The midsection of her dress was white and sported a bow behind it as well. She was as cute as a newborn pup, and just as vulnerable.

Her parents died and she had been taking care of herself for the past year. It was hard work. She didn't like the feel of sitting around, or worse, tending to some boring farm.

She grabbed her long dagger and raced to the portal. She was instantly overwhelmed at what she saw. Lava was bubbling twenty feet away from her and there was nothing else but blood-stained rock everywhere. The two small hills at her sides seemed to have closed around her like walls.

The only light source was the lava, making an eerie and ironic darkness in the place of eternal flames. She went hysterical. It was too much. The grim sight seemed to be chipping away at her sanity.

She turned for the portal, but it was gone. There was a dismembered arm on the ground under where the portal was; to her horror, its index finger was twitching and blood was squirting out of two distinct arteries. Someone tried to get her out before it was too late. The portal had enclosed around his arm and...

No, she had to get back. She didn't belong here. What was she thi-

She heard a clang and looked to see a Wither skeleton. He stuck his sword into the wall and was using it to help him climb.

She screamed and ran down to where the lava was, looking panicked as it yanked the sword out of its place, moved forward, fixed it in again and repeated at a deadly speed.

She turned and ran to the lava, considering jumping in when she stopped. The heat there was incredible. She turned again to see that the Wither skeleton was gone. She sighed.

Then a loud clatter behind her woke her up from the sweet relief of safety. She screamed and dropped her dagger as her hands went to her heart. She was both pleading for her life, and stopping her heart from bursting out of her chest.

The Wither skeleton had his back toward the light. He looked over at her and moved forward. She fell backward and began crawling away.

Then there was movement in the lava as a huge mass was emerging from the water. It walked slowly, and every step made the red-hot figure taller until it got to its feet. The lava dripped off of it and the stone regained its color.

There was something that Solomon had left out about the Big Golems: when he is protecting someone, he strikes with the unbeatable force of eighteen Big Golems.

He looked up to see a girl scampering backward and a dark skeleton that has lived his final minute.

His eyes reddened as he raised his fist and clenched it so tightly the stone cracked. The Wither skeleton raised his sword for the kill, and turned around to be greeted with a blow that launched him to the wall, his face horribly disfigured.

He smashed into the wall and only had enough strength to raise his arms and beg for mercy. The Big Golem looked down and started his drill. It spun slowly, and then at lethal speed. It raised the drill and drove it into the skeleton's chest. It made sickening crunches and snaps.

The golem cranked the drill out harshly, tossing the sternum into the lava. Then, with the drill slowly rotating to a halt, it robotically turned and looked down at the girl. It bent down what looked like a mile for the tall beast, picked up the dagger, and handed it to the girl, as gently as a loving father, with the same hand it destroyed the skeleton's face.

She hugged it. It was her mother's and when she took the cap off the end, a family portrait was inside. She grabbed the giant's hand and led him like a daughter to a father would...

* * *

The Nether was ambient. The mountains of crimson rock paled in comparison to the oceans of lava. Stalactites coated the upper sections of the Nether.

Lava boiled and sent simmering magma drops onto the eternally flammable rock. As usual, Ghasts flew blindly into lava waterfalls and caught on fire. No matter how much they tried to end their pitiful lives, however, the fire would not kill them and free their souls.

The Wither was in a room as dark as night, watching the Overworld through a spell cast on a cow.

_Nothing seems to be going on right now... Just a few more hours and I will finally achieve maximum power... _

He had sent a legion of Wither skeletons to guard the fortress he was contained in. He then sent dozens of others to scout the land around. If anyone trespassed, he would activate the Endless Spawners. But those took power to maintain, and he needed to postpone their usage until he had finished. When he was done, he would open the Overworld portals and send millions of Nether creatures to emerge and overtake humankind.

Their only wish was to populate the Overworld. A dream that requires death and destruction to become fulfilled.

The Wither skeletons shifted uneasily. The silence that brewed in the Nether was unsettling when coupled by the depressing cries of the Ghasts.

Suddenly, the Nether shook with intense force as dozens of tears in space and time itself became unraveled. The portals revealed the light of day, and the Ghasts were first to destroy. They had killed visiting humans before, and tried to enter their idle portals to finally escape. Alas, Създателят само позволява преминаването на зомби прасета, защото те имат право да наблюдават миналото си живот.

So when they see the taunting sunlight that they may never feel, they make haste to destroy the light source.

As the first batch of soldiers poured in, the Nether was an instant warzone.

* * *

The largest portal was directly in the center of the nightmarish realm. The Ender Dragon burst out of it and roared as it flew down to dismember some unsuspecting Wither skeletons.

Warriors, Endermen, Big Golems, and convicts alike jumped out of the portals and onto the battlefield a couple of feet down. Armor clanged and heavy, sprinting footsteps beat loudly.

Their surroundings were horrifying. A quick jog in the Nether revealed mutilated bodies. They were all human and some were women and children. The soldiers became enraged at the gruesome sight. They yelled battle cries.

"For my fallen brothers in arms!"

"For The Landing!"

A lot of them yelled for General Green. Less screamed for their own families, as they forgot about them in the haze. One alone dedicated his war cry to Mavis.

Mobs of the Nether turned around, dumbstruck. The first wave of mobs guarding the outskirts of the Nether Fortress were cut down like sugar cane. Blades crushed down on black skulls.

Then the Ghasts came along, eager to terminate the mocking light. One grabbed a soldier with its tentacles.

"Help! The bastard's got me!" His comrades did all they could and threw spears and swords at the giant demon. But it was no good. The Ghast raised the soldier above his head and ripped him in half. Blood and entrails splashed all over the terrified soldiers.

They became furious. One climbed up a small hill and leaped for the Ghast in blind fury. He brought his blade down into its side and slid down, tearing into the Ghast and releasing black gas. The Ghast and the soldier fell into the lava. Neither would ever get back up.

_NO! It was all going so well! Where did they come from!? I'll activate the Spawners. Every creature from creepers to skeleton archers will now come from every crack and crevice of the Nether. Children of the Darkness, attack!_

The Nether creatures seemed to turn around and plead. _They have the dragon on their side, please let us preserve our lives._

_YOU DIE TO THEM OR DIE TO ME._

The Nether spawn looked at each other sadly and charged.

The rest of the soldiers looked about each other and accepted the hardship. They charged.

* * *

Elsewhere, more soldiers broke in. There were dozens of portals and they were all in different places. On the mountain peaks, the middles of plateaus, inside of the caverns, in the Dead Lands surrounding the Nether Fortress. This was just miles and miles of the Nether's equivalent to plains in the Overworld. Except in place of grass there was fire.

A Big Golem jumped from out of a portal and cracked the rock beneath him. His eyes became the same color as his surroundings when he spotted a group of Wither skeletons.

He charged, his body just off of the ground to achieve unreal speed. He smashed into the group and the ones he clipped went flying into the distance. The one he hit directly went with him, stuck to his shoulder like a bug. He crashed into a wall and the Wither skeleton was no more.

The Big Golem looked around. He noticed a Wither skeleton that was guarded by three Blazes. They circled him and noticed the large mass of sentient rock. They took to the sky above.

The Golem couldn't reach them, so he charged for the skeleton, slower this time. The Blazes fired and the fire charges stung. He raised his left arm to his face to cover the incoming assaults. When he got to the skeleton, it grabbed his face cage. He thrashed his head around and swung his drill upward to throw off the hand. He then aimed the drill at the skeleton's face and launched it downward. All that remained was a hole with shattered bones inside.

* * *

In another place, eight soldiers were dueling the skeletons. All were on top of a mountain, the ledge a couple feet away. Bodies fell off the mountain, indistinguishable as it was too far off to see more than a flailing silhouette.

* * *

Another place, one soldier was pushing his sword against the Wither's sword. As they fought desperately, the ground they were on collapsed. The two held tightly to the ledge. The armor and size of their bodies prohibited them of making it out alive. Unless they were aided, they would surely die.

However, even with imminent death in their minds, the two beings still despised one another so, that the skeleton released his right hand's grip on the ledge and reached out. He punched the soldier's face with a mighty blow and returned his right hand on the ledge.

The soldier raised his left leg with tremendous strength and delivered a roundhouse to the skeleton's face. It smashed upon impact, and the two dropped into the unknown.

* * *

In another place, a prisoner was fist fighting an armed Wither skeleton. The prisoner had the advantage of brute strength. He lashed out in an unorganized attack of punches. The skeleton fell to the ground.

It frowned and thrust its sword into his leg. The prisoner stumbled and fell. As the skeleton celebrated his successful attack, the convict pinned the skeleton and beat his face in, dark chips of bone flying everywhere.

* * *

Elsewhere, a soldier took a spear and ran at a Ghast. He looked forward to see a sort of zombie, pig thing side swipe the spear away with a yellow sword. It then growled as it grabbed its face. The Wither was getting to everyone.

_Power..._

The pigman grew, and its golden sword morphed into its right arm. Veins and tissue wrapped around the sword as it lengthened and sharpened. It was missing pupils. The pig demon then charged at the human and threw him into the air.

The man screamed, and when he came back to the ground, he noticed his waist and legs were a couple of feet away from his torso. He choked and spat up some blood before meeting Notch.

* * *

An Enderman was holding down a Wither skeleton. He slammed a punch into its skull, then he turned to see a skeleton archer. He smiled and vanished as the archer released his grip on the string. The Wither skeleton's head was thrown back, an arrow in between his eyes.

* * *

A nearby soldier parried a Wither skeleton's stone sword on a land bridge over a river of lava, and they glared at each other with pure hate. A strange metallic sound rang out from behind and the soldier turned to face one of the Nether's most fitting entities.

The demon hovered over the red, cracked ground, with rods floating around it. As soon as the two opponents made eye contact, the demon burst into flames. It launched a fireball, and the warrior ducked, then sliced clean through the demon. The projectile slammed into the Wither skeleton, and the unfortunate undead was tossed into the magma stream below.

* * *

From the cracks and holes in the ground that lead further into the darkest voids of the Nether, mobs started to climb out, both of the Overworld and the Nether.

A creeper poked its head out of a crevice, just as a soldier walked by. It hissed and blew up, damaging the surrounding unstable rock. The ground crumbled under the soldier's feet, and he fell into the deeper and darker parts of the Nether.

* * *

A skeleton archer group crawled out of a nearby cave, having come from a deep Spawner. They spotted a group of soldiers and were furious at what was in each of the human's hands. Bows.

They aimed and fired, killing two soldiers right off the bat. The others were wounded or unhurt, and took cover to return fire.

Arrows were flying, but neither team was getting anywhere. A human archer looked up at a Ghast firing down on a fellow squad mate. He shot at it, catching its attention. It floated towards them, and the archer ordered what remained of his squad to open fire on the flying demon when he signaled.

It floated closer, and opened its eyes to launch a fireball. The flaming orb spun in their direction. The signal was given, with the archer in charge having his own personal target. The Ghast was taken down, and crashed near the skeletons. The fireball was coming closer, and the archer shot an arrow into it.

The fireball changed direction with the arrow, and both projectiles landed right in the skeleton group. The Overworld skeletons were gone, but the archers could rest for not one minute.

* * *

An Enderman let out a laugh as it pummeled an Overworld skeleton. Constantly teleporting and whacking the skeleton on the head, the archer couldn't get a clear shot. So it aimed at a nearby soldier, and the Enderman teleported in the path as the arrow flew.

It took the arrow through its heart, and could feel its life essence flowing out onto the already blood-red ground. The blood stood out, purple against scarlet. The Enderman quickly teleported right into the skeleton's face, letting out a long, deep growl.

It grabbed the skeleton with enough force to crack its skull. Teleporting them both into another fight, it used the skeleton to absorb blows from a Blaze. The Enderman's vision began to blur, and it lunged at the Blaze, throwing the now thoroughly dead undead archer.

Trapping the demon in a searing hug, the Enderman refused to let go as its life was flashing before its eyes. It teleported high into the air, then let itself fall. The Blaze in its arms hit the ground first, splattering into pieces on the now dead Enderman.

* * *

A swordsman was in a desperate battle with a Wither skeleton. He was at a major disadvantage, having been cut along his torso in an earlier skirmish. He parried an oncoming overhead blow, and his side exploded with pain.

He gasped and lowered his guard, falling to his knees to the warm, but unforgiving red stone mesh. The Wither skeleton leered at him and raised his sword for a final overhead strike, one that the human would be unable to defend against.

_Power..._

The human decided that he wouldn't be much good to the war effort dead, so he succumbed to the Wither's offers. The Wither skeleton sliced straight down, but was stunned by the soldier catching the blade. It dug into his skin and palm, but strangely there was no life force to drain.

Nonetheless, the Wither skeleton kicked the soldier, and nearly shattered its leg at the strangely iron-like body the soldier now possessed. The Wither made the human's vision red, and his blood burn with the want, the _need_, to kill _everything_.

He looked up at the Wither skeleton, with a look of madness and insanity. His irises and pupils were gone. Its skull was shattered with an unnaturally strong punch.

The soldier turned to the rest of the entities along the Nether, all of them on his hit list.

* * *

A platoon of soldiers marched along, trying to find a good battle. It found them in the form of a skeleton archer squad. They peered down at the humans, and readied their bows.

High above them, scraping the rocky ceiling, a Ghast floated. It locked its sights on the soldiers below, and breathed in the sulfuric air. Its eyes flew open in both pain from the mix of gases now in its body, and to be able to properly aim.

As it was about to open its mouth, a deafening roar carried through the Nether, and it was followed by a chomp. The Ghast gasped as the Enderdragon bit down on its tentacles and pulled.

The fireball hit the ceiling, casting rubble and pebbles down onto the battlefield. The Ghast fell underneath the Enderdragon, but managed to stay afloat.

The dragon let go, before sinking its talons into the Ghast's body. It flew straight down towards the skeletons, and let go. Then it fired a purple fireball into the Ghast.

A massive explosion occurred, both from the fireball and the remaining internal gasses of the Ghast reacting with the fireball. A mushroom cloud decorated that portion of the Nether and the archers cheered.

* * *

A very young archer was fighting against a Blaze, her feet stumbling slightly on the loose stones scattered from the weathered Netherrack. She fired an arrow, and it glanced the Blaze. It became furious, and launched a volley of fireballs. The archer closed her eyes tightly, awaiting a fiery death.

It never came. She did, however, feel a rock-hard but gentle embrace, as if to comfort her. She opened her eyes, and a Big Golem was in front of her, having taken every single fireball. It released her and loomed over the flame demon.

Its eyes were an angry red, and it drilled straight into the Blaze. The demon spun comically on the drill, before the Big Golem threw it on the ground and stomped its head in. The golem comforted the archer, and together they went forward to kill more enemies.

* * *

A swordsman was dueling a Wither skeleton when a few reinforcements arrived. To his dismay, they weren't on his side.

A few of the Nether's spawn were there, all thirsty for the swordsman's blood. But he wasn't a former Onyx knight for nothing, and steeled himself before lunging in.

The first Wither skeleton sliced down, and the swordsman sidestepped it, feeling the blade fly a hair's width from him. He sliced clean through the Wither skeleton's spine before stabbing another in the skull.

A fireball blasted his helmet off, and another Wither skeleton tried to chop his head off. He scarcely dodged, and looked to the Blaze as it launched another fireball.

He was thrown back from the sheer force behind the projectile, and crashed into a red, jagged wall. The swordsman could feel his blood matting the back of his head. His vision was blurring, and he couldn't stand up.

_Power..._

He smirked as the Wither tempted him with the promise. _Go fuck yourself_, he broadcast to the Wither.

At that, a battering ram assaulted his mind. He refused to let it in, but he could see the Nether creatures closing in slowly for the kill. He couldn't fight both physically and mentally and hope to win both. He closed his eyes, ready to die.

A wild squeal awakened him. He opened his eyes to see a Zombie Pigman slicing through the Wither Skeleton, and stomping the first, crawling Wither skeleton that the swordsman had failed to kill. It threw its sword into the Blaze, it and momentarily snuffed out its flames. It rushed up, kicked it, and dismounted with its golden sword in hand. The Blaze collapsed to the ground.

It turned to the swordsman, sword dangling from its paw and a curious look in its eyes. He realized these creatures were intelligent, not just the regular mobs of the Nether. Movement behind the pigman caused the swordsman to act, throwing his sword into the heavily wounded and furious Blaze.

The pigman eyed the swordsman with a hint of respect. It nodded, and rushed off to go fight some more.

* * *

A Big Golem rushed deeper in the fray. It could see a skeleton archer right about to fire on a helpless soldier. It found a small boulder of Netherrack and smashed its drill across it, launching it with deadly accuracy. The stone went through the skeleton, and the undead archer shattered into pieces.

The golem had no time to celebrate (though it felt no need to). A Ghast had its sights set on a fighting convict. He was too distracted to notice the Ghast, so it was up to the Big Golem to save this man.

It rushed with all the speed the magic provided, and the Ghast noticed this. It decided to take out this new threat before advancing to the easier, stuck one. The Big Golem blocked the incoming fireball with its hand, and a massive cloud of dust formed around the golem from the aftereffects of the blast.

It rushed out, and ran along a river of lava. The golem dipped its drill in the molten liquid, and lunged straight into the air for the surprised Ghast. Bringing the spinning drill and itself through the Ghast with its momentum, the Big Golem landed on the other side of the river.

The protector quickly grabbed a nearby Blaze, ignoring the flames scalding its stone skin. It slammed it into the ground quickly before stomping the Blaze and its flames out.

* * *

A convict fought. He grabbed a skeleton, stole its bow, and smashed it across the face with its own weapon. Snapping the bow on his knee, he proceeded to sweep a Wither skeleton off its feet with a low kick. He bent down and thrust the bow fragment into the skeleton's eye.

He then noticed some luminescent rock shining over him a couple feet away. He grabbed a rock and threw it at the stone. It shattered and converted into powder.

Gathering the dust, the convict threw it into the eyes of a Blaze. It shut its eyes in pain, unable to wipe them. It was so distracted its flames were gone, and the convict punched the demon in the face, loving the thrill of the fight.

_Power..._

He didn't need it. Ignoring the voice, he just focused on the rush that came from repeatedly beating the life out of the Blaze.

* * *

A soldier was in awe of the sheer size of the sight in front of him. A magma slime, of the massive variety. It lunged and squashed him.

It hopped off, leaving a flattened and smoking corpse.

* * *

The Enderdragon was soaring over lava and mobs alike. It beat its wings over the dry, smoky air. It looked down and its eyes shrank as it snarled. A Ghast trying to ambush defenseless soldiers. The beast dive bombed and snapped down on the demon. The Ghast struggled under the insane pressure of the dragon's jaws; its tentacles flailed and one caught the dragon's eye. It popped like a grape, with matching color.

The dragon threw its head up and reopened its mouth to smash down again. When it did, the Ghast stiffened, then was still.

* * *

A soldier kicked a Wither skeleton off into the lava, content in seeing it burn. He turned around and saw the Nether's chaos, amplified by wartime and the madness the Wither was emitting from wherever it was.

He didn't see the skeleton come back up, unharmed. The charred bones refused to combust, and the Wither skeleton was already resistant to any heat. It raised its sword to kill him, and the soldier turned to see the sword coming straight down towards him.

He flinched, but saw a golden reflection of himself. He looked over and saw a zombie pigman, fighting back against the sword. The zombie pigman kicked the Wither skeleton, making it stumble. It glared at the zombie pigman, as if to remind it who's team it was on.

The pigman snorted and sliced clean through the fellow undead's skull. Just as the soldier was going to cheer, the pigman stabbed towards him. He felt the first second of the golden blade into his forehead, then everything went black.

* * *

An Enderman teleported directly between a Wither skeleton and an archer, and grabbed the Wither skeleton. Quickly teleporting onto the ceiling, the Enderman fell.

The Wither skeleton below him struggled as they fell. Both dark entities refused to give a single inch, and the Wither skeleton stabbed into the Enderman's torso. The teleporter screeched in agony, stole the stone sword covered in purple blood, and flung it into the ceiling.

It then started to destroy the Wither skeleton, dismembering it and throwing body parts around into the lava ocean below. The Enderman punched the undead warrior with enough force to spin the skull around.

The last thing they saw was lava coming towards them at an alarming pace. The Enderman closed his eyes and thought of the Receiver as it died.

* * *

A soldier watched from the perch that he found. Scared out of his wits, he refused to fight. Watching all the bloodshed and death down at the ground level, it was draining his sanity. So the Wither found little resistance in invading his mind.

The Wither used too much force entering, having expected a full wall defense. With that much force, the soldier's mind broke. The Wither retreated from this mind, content in simply having caused sheer insanity.

He jumped down, breaking a leg and spraining the other one. None of that registered in his shattered mind. The soldier raised his spear and tried to stab into a Big Golem. The iron tip snapped against the strong stone, and the Big Golem turned around.

It looked around, confused. No Nether creature was around, or at least close enough to cause it harm. He looked at the soldier, and noted that he was acting strange. The soldier stabbed with what was now a pole, and the Big Golem dodged. It boomed in warning, trying to get through to him.

The soldier was beyond help, and aimed for the Big Golem's face cage. It dodged again, not wanting to hurt the human soldier. After one more attempt to hurt the Big Golem, it sighed and grabbed the pole. It threw the pole into a distant Blaze, about to fire on a reloading archer.

The soldier resorted to punching, and the broken mind somehow managed to see that fighting the Big Golem would be a waste of time. He ran off to fight a convict, and the Big Golem could no longer stand by or dodge.

It drilled straight through the soldier's skull, knowing that would provide a painless death with enough force and its drill. The convict shouted something at it, but the Big Golem didn't care. It saw a soldier about to be stabbed by a zombie pigman, and duty called.

* * *

**(H) A/N: We hope you liked it. Took a while because we had to come up with different combat scenarios. The next chapter should be up quicker because we'll be using the main characters. So, until next time!**

**(Z) A/N: Guys, I will say this once, and please don't take this harshly, I love every one of you. But, Hunt can tell you himself, I have other priorities. Not just fun and games come in between me and writing, but I... Have some talents in other fields that I spend a lot of time in. I still write regularly, but when I see only 25 out of an easy 1,000 people have commented, it somehow gives me the strange and unexplainable feeling that not many people are enjoying the story. When I see that, I consequently am not so enthusiastic about working hard to give my effort for some people who are unappreciative. Comments take 3 minutes tops and I spend hours on end with Hunt to bring you this story... As an added reason to comment, we will be rewarding one of our most faithful and supportive reader/commenter by entering him in the next chapter... He knows who he is.**


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